During the recent Capcom Next showcase, Capcom took some time to highlight the upcoming mobile port of Resident Evil 7. This meant bringing in that game’s director, Koshi Nakanishi, to offer some insight on the development of the original release. However, Nakanishi had one extra surprise to share with fans; he’s back to direct the next Resident Evil game, presumably Resident Evil 9.
A new Resident Evil was always going to happen, but this is the first bit of official info we have about the game. It’s not much, but given the success of Resident Evil 7, knowing Nakanishi is in charge of the project (be it Resident Evil 9 or something else) is enough to warrant excitement. Towards the end of Capcom Next, all Nakanishi could say about the game is, “It was really difficult to figure out what to do after [Resident Evil 7]. But I found it, and to be honest it feels substantial. I can’t share any details just yet, but I hope you’re excited for the day I can.”
As a reminder, Resident Evil 7 was a significant turning point for the franchise. A lot of fans weren’t thrilled with how the series had diverged from its survival horror roots and became more action-oriented. This came to a head with 2013’s Resident Evil 6, which didn’t meet Capcom’s initial sales expectations and proved woefully unpopular with most fans. During Capcom Next, Nakanishi even admitted Resident Evil was “off-track” when Resident Evil 7 entered development, acknowledging the negative fan reaction to the emphasis on action.
“In the end, an RE game has to be scary,” continued Nakanishi, which played a part in the decision to have Resident Evil 7 be a first-person game as opposed to all the previous entries. Hopefully, this will mean his next Resident Evil game will bring the scares too, and maybe serve as a counterpoint to Resident Evil Village.
Despite Resident Evil Village being a direct sequel to Resident Evil 7, Nakanishi had no involvement with its development, with Morimasa Sato (a designer on RE7) taking over as director. Village retained the first-person perspective and, while not without horror elements, opted to focus on action and combat once more. It still proved to be a critical and financial success, but perhaps its follow-up will swing back in the survival horror direction.
