Resident Evil 9 is a title that has been on a lot of gamers' minds recently, even though Capcom has yet to offer any concrete look into what the game has in store. Right now, there is virtually nothing officially known about Resident Evil 9 apart from its director, Koshi Nakanishi, but the rest is still shrouded in a blanket of mystery.
It may not be the longest wait between Resident Evil releases, but it's still a considerable amount of time, especially with no news about the next chapter. Hopes for an RE9 reveal to arrive this year have been growing, especially after some fans have seen Capcom's latest RE4 sales milestone celebration as a teaser for the next chapter. RE9 has been fertile soil for rumors to grow, but as the wait between mainline chapters grows longer, Capcom may want to take note of how Konami is handling the SIlent Hill franchise.
Resident Evil 9's Rumored Open World Could Borrow One Controversial Feature from Breath of the Wild
If Resident Evil 9 does turn out to have an open world, it could do worse than borrowing one unexpected feature from Breath of the Wild.
Resident Evil Could Benefit From Silent Hill's Embrace of Spin-Off Stories
Silent Hill's Spin-Offs May Have Had a Rocky Start, But They Can Still Inspire
- Silent Hill: The Short Message was released on January 31, 2024.
- Silent Hill: Townfall is currently in development.
The Short Message may have failed to succeed with the Silent Hill fan base, but the idea of short spin-off games between major releases is intriguing, and could work wonders for the Resident Evil series. Now that Townfall is set to be the next spin-off entry, Konami has a second chance at making its side-story ambitions take off, and if successful, Capcom may want to follow suit.
With RE7's Koshi Nakanishi back in the director's seat, RE9 could once again be potentially leaning harder into survival horror elements. It's also unclear if RE9 will stick to the first-person perspective introduced in RE7.
Resident Evil May Actually Be the Better Franchise to Introduce Spin-Offs
Silent Hill has plenty of its own intriguing lore, but compared to Resident Evil, the latter may have far more potential when it comes to this type of lore exploration. Over the years, Resident Evil has left a lot of loose threads within its canon that could benefit from being tied. Whether it be Rosemary's powers or the mysterious new crime syndicate known as The Connections, RE9 may have too much ground to cover for its own good.
Short spin-offs made in the same vein as The Short Message and Townfall could allow the Resident Evil franchise to cover a lot more ground with its lore. This is likely wishful thinking, but the lore of Resident Evil lends itself to deeper dives that mainline games sometimes don't allow, since the story has to stay more focused.
Nothing has been confirmed, but this summer could potentially set the stage for an RE9 announcement. Summer Game Fest airs on June 6, and there have been rumors of a PlayStation showcase.
Over the years, Resident Evil has left a lot of loose threads within its canon that could benefit from being tied.
Resident Evil 9 Has Been the Source of Continuous Rumors
The longer Capcom goes without offering fans details about RE9, the more rumors are bound to pop up. Rumors and leaks have suggested everything from Leon and Jill returning to an open-world map. The legacy of Resident Evil has made it one of the most beloved horror franchises in the industry, and that makes the promise of RE9 that much more exciting.
Considering it's currently been four years between mainline titles, it's far too late for Capcom to develop its own spin-off game ahead of RE9's eventual launch. However, it could be useful to embrace this approach in the future. As game development gets more complicated, the wait between chapters is getting longer, and having small crumbs of lore in between Resident Evil titles could help expand its world in a more efficient way.
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Publisher(s)
- Capcom
- Franchise
- Resident Evil
