Resident Evil 9 Already 'In Development' With Capcom
We haven't even escaped the talons of Lady Dimitrescu and her castle's dungeons in Resident Evil Village, but that hasn't stopped reputable rumours claiming Capcom has already started work on Resident Evil 9. Away from Village, the multiplayer madness of Resident Evil RE:verse, and the various remasters of the old games, it's increasingly likely developers are already sketching out their plans with what comes next in terms of main series entries.
Resident Evil Village hopes to capitalise on the success of 2017's Resident Evil 7, and what was held as a return to form for the shuffling zombies series. Despite Resident Evil carving an unparalleled legacy since its release in 1996, there were criticisms that later outings like Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6 relied too much on cinematic action sequences and played out more like a movie than a video game. RE7 took a back to basics approach and replicated the cramped confines of the Spencer Mansion with the decaying Baker Ranch. Village looks to be doing the same with the crumbling caverns of Castle Dimitrescu, but who knows what's coming with Resident Evil 9?
What's going on with Resident Evil 9?
Trusted leaker @AestheticGamer1, aka "Dusk Golem", has given us the inside track on what Capcom is up to. They claim that while Capcom is already working on Resident Evil 9, we shouldn't expect the next game before 2024. There's nothing too revelatory here, and with Resident Evil emerging as a flagship franchise for Capcom, it makes sense the developer is already tinkering on the next chapter. Unlike most big games, Resident Evil games tend to release in one go with the occasional drop of post-release content and the team moving onto the next game.
Resident Evil 7 had several DLCs, with the End of Zoe story being handled by Capcom and the Not a Hero Chris Redfield arc being outsourced to HexaDrive. If this concept continues with Village, it would be possible for Capcom to outsource any work on a potential DLC to another developer while it focuses its efforts on Resident Evil 9. In terms of timelines, there were five years between the release of Resident Evil 6 and Resident Evil 7, while there are four between RE7 and Village. A 2024 release date for a potential ninth game would be a pretty speedy turnaround, but as the franchise continues to gain steam, we can easily see it happening.
What can we expect from Resident Evil 9?
Of course, until we know what goes down in Village, it's hard to speculate on what will happen in Resident Evil 9. We know both Chris Redfield and Ethan Winters will be back in action, but with something clearly up with Chris, could the writers do the unthinkable and kill off the RE staple? If Ethan makes it out of Castle Dimitrescu alive, it's likely Resident Evil 9 could round off a trilogy with him as the main character. One thing's for sure, we're probably going to get another change of venue.
Looking at the long-running Resident Evil name, it's become adept at adapting to the changing taste of gamers. Perhaps the biggest departure from the series we'd come to know was the move to rural Spain with Resident Evil 4 in 2005. As arguably the best game in the franchise's history, it's no coincidence Village is channelling some serious Resident Evil 4 vibes. Even though we've been around the globe with trips to Africa, Russia, and wherever Village is set, we're excited to see where Resident Evil 9 takes us next.
TheAestheticGamer has been particularly vocal in news about a potential Silent Hill reboot, which has yet to emerge from the shadows. We'll have to wait and see whether Resident Evil 9 is already crawling from the crypt or we'll be left waiting for our next dose of the T-Virus.
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