Summary
Fans continue to patiently wait for Capcom to provide firm details about what exactly the next mainlineResident Evilwill entail, as well as when they might expect it to be officially revealed, along with a release date. While the powerhouse survival horror franchise has ridden a string of successful entries and highly-regarded remakes since 2017’sRE7, this has only accelerated the demand and anticipation forResident Evil 9.
In the absence of news coming from official channels, players have had to increasingly rely on rumors for years. One of these well-known sources,establishedResident Evilleaker Dusk Golem(also known as Aesthetic Gamer), has previously reported that the ninth numberedgame will mark a “major reinvention” for the IP, similar to the notable shifts thatRE4and laterRE7took. Now, it seems like there’s more to the story, as development on the next installment has allegedly undergone a “reset” that renders some of the prior rumors obsolete while opening up a whole new round of questions and possibilities, particularly in its supposed open-world direction.
A rumor from another known insider suggests thatRE9will be announced at theupcoming Summer Game Fest.
Despite Its ‘Reset,’ Resident Evil 9 Can Still Split the Difference Between Open-World and Linear Design
Resident Evil 9 Has Seemingly Been Dogged by a Tumultuous Development So Far
The most notable takeaway from the latest leaked information is thatResident Evil 9went through a “pretty heavy” reboot in 2021 behind the scenes, the same year thatVillagereleased. This follows the longstanding rumor that it would be open-world, a first for the series, with fans reacting toResident Evil 9potentiallypivoting to fully open-worldwith no small measure of trepidation. It was also earlier thought that it would star dual protagonists, with longtime heroes Leon S. Kennedy and Jill Valentine teaming up for a co-op-focused adventure along the lines ofRE5,set on a strange, supernatural-tinged island inhabited by a creepy cult.
While none of these details were ever confirmed by Capcom, it does provide some intriguing insight into the ideas that the studio may have had in mind, at least at some point, for the next title. But with some of these rumors now apparently squashed, specifically the open-world and deuteragonist ones, andResident Evil 9supposedly in flux, it still opens the door for the developer to include these to some degree, especially if prior work has already been done on them.
How Resident Evil 9 Could Cover Both Linear and Open-World-Like Sections
With the fully open-world rumors seemingly having been put to bed,RE9could yet take a few cues from thedesign principles ofResident Evil Villageto incorporate a potential hybrid of more openly-structured sections along with traditionally linear ones. This approach has already worked well, and Capcomcould iterate on this core inRE9by mirroringVillage. It could similarly alternate between expanding the play space for certain areas, as also seen inRE4,and sending players to more confined and isolated locations like Salazar’s castle or House Beneviento. This would also likely have the benefit of helping balance the horror and action as those titles did.
Secondly, it’s claimed thatLeon is set to be the sole main character ofRE9. But it’s also possible, given the alleged shakeups, that this might come along with an updated version of a new story NPC like Ashley. Even if the next entry does only feature a single character as the protagonist, it could include a side companion and/or briefer playable sections which differ in design from the main, offering a way to still include some open portions folded into a more customary linear experience. Time will tell for now, but hopefully Capcom will reveal its plans and vision forResident Evil 9sooner rather than later.
