Capcom has secretly been inviting fans across Japan and the US to test an unannounced Resident Evil game. We took this opportunity to speculate on what this new Resident Evil game could be. And whether it’d be better for Capcom to be working on a new game like Resident Evil 8, or continue on the Resident Evil Remake path.

Enter the Survival Horror.

John Borba: Resident Evil is a series that has wandered quite a bit over the years, both in the narrative and in the core mechanics of the game. That said, the recent Resident Evil 2 remake took some incredible steps in a direction that returns the series to form, while providing some incredible and welcome updates that made for one of the best games of 2019 so far.
However, maybe we don’t need to stay in the past.

Aug 29, 2019  Resident Evil 8 News – Tokyo Games Show 2019 teases new Resi title Capcom has announced Project Resistance, an upcoming title seemingly based in.

Resident Evil is a series with the potential to recreate some of it’s best moments in new and interesting ways, while breaking new ground and telling new stories. Resident Evil 8 is certainly coming our way someday and I don’t know why Capcom would continue to make remakes at the cost of growing one of its biggest titles. Resident Evil 7 was a hit and (while I have personal misgivings about the game) it explored some interesting new avenues mechanically.
I think Capcom has seen a lot of success with its two recent survival horror endeavors that would serve a sequel and could potentially inspire something both memorable and new. I’m hoping this unannounced project is exactly that.
Matt Kim: I think Capcom does its games a disservice by just calling them “remakes.” Arguably, the Resident Evil GameCube remake, and the more recent Resident Evil 2 remake, are essentially new experiences.
It’s not like Capcom is just making old games look prettier. Resident Evil 2 incorporates a lot of visual elements from Resident Evil 7, as well as new gameplay features like dismemberment. Basically, what I’m trying to say is even if Capcom’s next Resident Evil game is a remake, it most certainly won’t be “just” a visual upgrade.
Is it so wrong for me to ask Capcom sprinkle whatever new gameplay mechanics and visual improvements they might be working on, over the delicious meal that is older games in the series? Resident Evil 2 remake did such a great job with Mr. X, but I’m very excited to see what they could do with the all-time GOAT Tyrant, Nemesis.
John Borba: I’ll admit that the idea of a Resident Evil 3 remake is incredibly appealing, but I’m also excited as the prospect of taking many of the lessons learned and venturing into uncharted territory. I do think that many of my criticisms of Resident Evil 7 can be attributed to it abandoning much of the characters, story, puzzles, and setting we’ve come to know in a Resident Evil game.
A new chapter in the series will be formed after the success of Resident Evil 2, with Capcom fully recognizing the importance of Raccoon City, its beloved cast of characters, and the frailty of humanity in these spectacularly terrifying circumstances. I would hope that a sequel would serve that lore again after being reminded how much of this series is built upon its foundation.Matt Kim: Fair enough. I still think Capcom can innovate while working with an existing canvas, but either way, Capcom has been on a winning streak with Resident Evil as of late. Both Resident Evil 7, and the Resident Evil 2 remake have been, I think, home-runs. So whatever’s next for the series I’m sure Capcom has a good direction for it.
But we can agree that a Code Veronica Remake would be sweet, right?
John Borba: Oh my GOD, Yes. MAKE IT HAPPEN, CAPCOM.Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN, and John Borba is a video producer. You can follow them on Twitter @lawoftd and @borbsauce.

When it was first released in 2017, Resident Evil 7 was a much-needed rejuvenation for the classic horror franchise. Capcom departed from its usual formula in a big way and even took the opportunity to embrace new experiences with PlayStation VR. This risk paid off and a large proportion of fans and critics embraced the changes, with a keen eye on what the next game might bring.

Two years on from Resident Evil 7's release, and shortly after a very successful Resident Evil 2 Remake, Capcom still isn't ready to confirm that Resident Evil 8 is in the works. But we're hopeful and think that the next chapter of the core Resident Evil series is inevitable.

There's not much in the way of solid information but here's everything we know so far about Resident Evil 8 including news, rumors and what we want to see.

[Update: Capcom has released further details about Project Resistance. Read on for more details.]

Resident Evil 8 release date

Capcom hasn't confirmed Resident 8 is in the works so we don't have a release date yet. But we expect we won't see the next chapter in the Resident Evil franchise until at least 2020 - perhaps for Xbox Project Scarlett or the PS5?

Resident Evil 8 news and rumors

Project Resistance confirmed
Capcom has announced Project Resistance, new 1v4 asymmetric online survival horror experience set in the world of Resident Evil. Unfortunately it isn't the core game we've been hoping for.

Testing on an unconfirmed title
Capcom’s Division 1, has reportedly sent emails to Resident Evil Ambassadors in Japan, inviting them to test an in-development game.

The email, translated from Japanese to English and published by fansite Biohaze, reads:

“To all Resident Evil Ambassadors, thank you for your patronage regarding the Resident Evil series. Today, we are letting you know that we are recruiting testers for a game that’s in development!

“We are interested in incorporating the feedback of all Ambassadors into our development, so please read the details below and, if you are interested in participating, click the entry button.”

It's possible these emails referred to Project Resistance, however it may be that they reference Resident Evil 8.

Capcom has numerous unannounced titles in development
Resident Evil fans hoping for a new entry in the series were feeling their hopes rising after a 2019 financial briefing from Capcom which confirmed the publisher has 'numerous' unannounced titles in development. The games are being developed on the RE Engine used for Resident Evil 7, Resident Evil 2 and Devil May Cry 5.

Work has already started
We’ve known this since early in 2017 when Resident Evil 7’s executive producer Jun Takeuchi confirmed it. In an interview for an official “making of” Resident Evil 7 documentary, Takeuchi said that work on the next game is “already in motion.”

It’ll build on the work of Resident Evil 7
In the same interview Takeuchi also ruminated on what the game might look like.

The first thing that he confirmed was that Resident Evil 7 was the start of a new direction for the series and that it was “the start of a new kind of survival horror, and of a new series.”

“We’re already thinking about various plans for the next game,” he revealed, “but we also want to see how we can continue to evolve survival horror itself. In the next few years technology will continue to advance and what players want may also change.”

It is, admittedly, hard to draw any solid information from this. When Takeuchi spoke in this interview it’s clear that planning was still in the very early stages and it’s quite possible that things such as plot and setting were still yet to be nailed down.

While we’d surmise that Resident Evil 8 will build on the fresh new feel of Resident Evil 7, Takeuchi’s comments on wanting to evolve the genre as well as capitalize on changing technologies and player desires suggests that the team aren’t locking themselves into a formula just yet.

Just as Resident Evil 7 integrated virtual reality in an interesting experiment that played on the new first-person perspective of the game, Resident Evil 8 could do the same all over again. We could see another perspective change, the team could find new ways to integrate virtual reality technology, or it could even delve into new augmented reality technology.

Part one of the 'making of' documentary gives a good insight into the kinds of gameplay experiments the team were looking into.

It seems that Takeuchi is telling fans not to assume there’s a new formula from which the developers won’t waver. Resident Evil will be taking a survival horror approach to the creation of survival horror – adapt, change and stay on your toes because you don’t know what new technology or fan request is around the corner.

• Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (Download) at CDKeys for $7.89

One thing we do know, however, is that the Resident Evil team will “always want to create horror experiences where the characters overcome a difficult situation.”

Takeuchi said he believes this is what survival horror is “all about” before adding that “the next Resident Evil game, and the one after that, every future Resident Evil, will feature characters getting through crises like this.” It’s this essence of “core survival horror concept of people overcoming the odds” that Tekeuchi says the series will “always retain.”

From this, at the very least, we can assume that the future of the series will place a heavier focus on the survival horror elements showcased in Resident Evil 7, rather than delving back into the more action-heavy gameplay of releases such as Resident Evil 4.

Shinji Mikami could come on board
As the director of the original Resident Evil and the fourth instalment, Shinji Mikami is hugely beloved by Resident Evil fans and inexorably tied to the series. He hasn’t, however, been directly involved with it since Resident Evil 4.

That could change though. In an interview with PCGamesN Mikami was asked if coming back to direct Resident Evil 8 was something he’d consider. He would, of course, have complete creative freedom to with the game as he’d like. His answer was short and far from finite: “I might.”

New Resident Evil Game Release

Resident Evil 8: what we want to see

More enemies
We loved the Molded in Resident Evil 7 but we’d love to see a little more variety in Resident Evil 8. Dangerous and scary enemies are a given but there’s something about having a wide range of terrifying character designs that makes turning every corner even more frightening. Who knows what you’ll have to face next?

A different location
This actually plays into our request for more varied enemies. Naturally, we’d love to see a new location in Resident Evil 8. To keep fans of the series on their toes it’d be interesting to see something that’s a little more open or a little more varied. New locations tends to mean new opportunities for new enemies so we think these demands feed into one another quite nicely.

More answers
The ending of Resident Evil 7 left us with some questions and though many of them have been answered in the DLC that followed, not all of them have. As Resident Evil games go, Biohazard was quite isolated in terms of its place in the wider series universe. Though we understand the desire for a fresh start, we’d love to see a little more exploration and integration there. At the very least it would be nice to see a few more knowing nods to fans.

Resident Evil 8 Trailer

VR support
Resident Evil 7’s foray into VR was terrifying and an excellent example of how to develop for the platform. We wouldn’t be against Resident Evil 8 delving back into this once again, lessons learned and technologies advanced.

New Resident Evil Game Gamescom

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