Resident Evil 3 may have been released only *checks notes* less than two weeks ago, but Capcom isn’t letting the hype cool down. Video Games Chronicle reported on April 12 that the developer is already working on a remake of Resident Evil 4.
“Multiple development sources have told VGC that the Resident Evil 4 remake has now entered full production with an estimated release window in 2022,” states the report. It’s uncertain as to whether that estimate is due to COVID-19 or in spite of it, and how the pandemic affects the remake’s development remains to be seen.
Resident Evil 4 was first released for the Gamecube in 2005. It stars Leon Kennedy, who first debuted in the 1998 Resident Evil 2, as he is sent on a mission to rescue the U.S. president’s daughter from a cult. It’s credited with popularizing the “over the shoulder” third-person view perspective in video games, among many other awards and critical acclaim. Judging by Metacritic, it is the series’ most critically acclaimed title.
The remake is being developed by Osaka-based studio M-Two, which was founded by former PlatinumGames CEO Tatsuya Minami. Minami is credited as the executive producer of Resident Evil 3. Even though the game’s development was led by Red Works, M-Two operated in a major support role for the title. The director of the original Resident Evil 4, Shinji Mikami, has reportedly approved and consulted on the project after declining the offer to lead it.
The report comes on the heels of another recent report by VGC stating that the series’ next mainline entry, Resident Evil 8, is in development and slated for a 2021 release. Resident Evil 8 is rumored to be titled Resident Evil: Village. It will lean into folk horror and introduce the Witch, a stalker enemy type who will behave similarly to Resident Evil 2‘s Mr. X and Resident Evil 3‘s Nemesis. Like Resident Evil 7: biohazard, it will be in first-person and will also bring back that game’s main protagonist, Ethan Winters.
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Capcom seems to be aiming for a yearly series release since the franchise’s critical revival with Resident Evil 7: biohazard. Since Resident Evil 3 marks this year’s release for the series, Resident Evil 8 will be next year’s Resident Evil game, and the remake of Resident Evil 4 will follow as the release for 2022.
Some fans are left wanting after the news. Resident Evil 4 may be Capcom’s highest-rated game of all time on Metacritic, but it has received numerous ports and remasters over the years due to its fame. It holds up better than Resident Evil – Code: Veronica X, which was critically acclaimed as both a Resident Evil game and as a Dreamcast game, and is thus due for a remake treatment. But, given Resident Evil 4‘s iconic status, it’s more than understandable — and a source of joy for many fans — that it’s the next in the line of the series remakes.
We’ll keep an eye out on what’s to come for the reported remake of Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil 8, and the Resident Evil series in general.
