One Character Has Hopefully Survived Resident Evil 9's 'Reset'

Ahead ofResident Evil 9, Capcom’s leading survival horror franchise is facing a crossroads. Over the past few years,Resident Evilhas not only reinvented itself, but also raised the bar on remakes, withResident Evil 4 Remakeperhaps being the pinnacleof this development strategy. It’s this tension between the remakes and the decidedly distinct mainline entries that will likely define Capcom’s approach toResident Evil 9.

Ideally, the developer will manage to synthesize the strengths of the remakes and the modern “Winters saga” games, leading to an entirely new, yet familiar experience inResident Evil 9. Of course, game development is rarely so simple, and this tenet is exemplified byResident Evil 9’s rumored reset back in 2021. According to trusted leaker DuskGolem (AKA AestheticGamer) on Twitter,RE9was initially envisioned as an open-world multiplayer game starring Leon Kennedy and Jill Valentine, meant to be more or less the opposite ofResident Evil 7’s linear, atmospheric scares. This decision was reportedly reversed in 2021, after Capcom realized the financial success ofRE7following its launch window. Thus, development onResident Evil 9allegedly restarted four years ago, muddying the waters with respect to much of the intel revealed through leaks and rumors, and painting an ever more uncertain picture of this next chapter in theResident Evilstory.

Hopefully, Jill Valentine Survived Resident Evil 9’s Reported Development Reset

Jill’s Role in Resident Evil 9 Is Not Confirmed

Of course, virtually nothing has actually beenconfirmed aboutResident Evil 9—the game’s biggest talking points have all stemmed from leaks, rumors, and speculation. But considering Dusk Golem’s track record, it’s fair to take theirRE9claims seriously, even if a grain of salt is still recommended. In other words, Dusk Golem’s claims aboutResident Evil 9’s principal cast, alongside the game’s 2021 development reset, have credence.

Dusk Golem collected a lot of good will following their accurate predictions aboutResident Evil 2RemakeandResident Evil Village. But naturally, they have gotten a few things wrong over the years as well.

Part of Dusk Golem’s approach to leaking, whether intentional or not, is vagueness, making it difficult to ascertain a complete image of an upcoming game. One such instance of this can be observed in their claims aboutResident Evil 9’s reset: Dusk Golem describes the pre-resetRE9as starring Leon and Jill as the protagonists, but only names Leon as the main character when discussing the current, presumably final, version of the game. Dusk Golem has not explicitly stated that Jill has been excised fromRE9, nor has any other source, but the fact remains: she is unaccounted for following this rumored development reshuffle.

Jill Valentine Deserves To Come Back for Resident Evil 9

Jill Valentine is the subject of much discussion within theResident Evilfanbase. Introduced alongside Chris Redfield in the series' very first entry, Jill went on to play leading roles inResident Evil 3andResident Evil Revelations, while also featuring prominently inResident Evil 5. But her current status is more or less unknown: she’s alive, but has been absent from the current goings-on of Umbrella and the BSAA, even as her longtime friend and partnerChris Redfield appears to have remained active.

It’s a bit odd that, despite being one ofResident Evil’s most recognizable heroes, Jill has been MIA in the franchise’s modern outings. She’s always been a fan favorite, and theResident Evil 3Remakehelped her achieve more relevance with contemporary players, so it simply makes sense to check in on her inResident Evil 9, whatever the game winds up looking like.

Resident Evil 9

Resident Evil 9 is a rumoured upcoming entry in the long-running series from Capcom. Reports suggest it could be a reinvention of the series.