Resident Evil Requiemis the latest mainline installment in one of gaming’s most iconic horror franchises. Announced as the closer to the Summer Game Fest 2025 Opening Night,Resident Evil Requiemis set to return players to Raccoon City for the first time in over a decade. Playable from both the first and third-person perspectives, this new game looks to build on the success of the recent first-person titles, as well as the recent bevy of remakes of third-personResident Evilentries.
Resident Evil Requiemwill already be an ambitious turnfor the series, but publisher Capcom almost made this entry a complete reinvention. Recently, director Koshi Nakanishi showcased some early footage of the project and also revealed that the development team experimented with several other gameplay styles. While one of the developer’s initial concepts will not come to fruition, it shouldn’t be off the table for future installments in the series.
Resident Evil Requiem’s Course Change Shouldn’t Deter Capcom From Trying Again
Resident Evil Requiem Was Almost An Online Co-Op Game
AlongsideResident Evil Requiem’s recent appearance at the Capcom Spotlight event, Capcom has revealed several initial concepts and ideas the development team had in mind for the project, including an open-world game and a more action-focused iteration. One notable early iteration was an online, cooperative title, a stark contrast to the recent single-playerResident Evilentries. This would’ve been the first time a mainlineResident Evilgame offered co-op since 2012’sResident Evil 6.
While the developers found these ideas interesting to explore, Nakanishi noted that the team “realized that it wasn’t what fans wanted to see or play.” This brought them back to square one and helped them pushRequiemback in a direction befitting the franchise’s roots. Thus, the team moved away from the planned action-oriented and co-op direction to crafta single-playerResident Eviltitlewith greater appeal to the franchise’s longtime fans.
Capcom Could Give Resident Evil Outbreak Another Chance
WhileResident Evil Requiemwill not feature co-op or online play, this doesn’t mean Capcom should not experiment with it again. If the publisher doesn’t feel the style would work with a mainline entry, itcould opt to revitalize 2004’sResident Evil Outbreak, the firstResident Evilgame to feature co-op and online play. A revival ofOutbreakcould serve as a solid, low-stakes way for Capcom to finally nail multiplayer inResident Evil, something it struggled to do withResident Evil: ResistanceandResident Evil Re:Versein recent years.
Considering the direction ofResident Evil Requiem’s story, a revival ofOutbreakfeels all the more important now.Requiemwill center around Grace Ashcroft, whose mother, Alyssa Ashcroft, was one of the eight playable characters inResident Evil Outbreak.Bringing backOutbreakin time forResident Evil Requiemwill allow players to familiarize themselves with Alyssa without the game needing to focus too much on exposition, and as the former takes place around the destruction of Raccoon City, it would be a perfect prelude toRequiem’s return to the city.
WhileResident Evil Requiemwill not feature co-op or online play, this doesn’t mean Capcom should not experiment with it again.
A Resident Evil 5 Remake Would Bring Co-Op Back To Mainline Resident Evil
If Capcom wants to revive co-op in a mainlineResident Evilgame,the long-rumoredResident Evil 5remakewould be a place to start.Resident Evil 5’s co-op was central to the overall gameplay, and a remake still offers a lot of room for improvement 16 years later. What’s more, a remake of a co-opResident Evilgame could also set the stage for the next proper iteration to integrate co-op in a way thatRequiemcouldn’t.
Resident Evil Requiemhas already taken on various forms, and the need to recenter the game meant that its multiplayer direction bit the bullet. As a result, it may take a moment for Capcom to bring its horror franchise back into the world of multiplayer gameplay. Still, the skeleton of a strong co-op game is there, and between a revival ofResident Evil Outbreakor a remake ofResident Evil 5, Capcom has plenty of room to experiment with multiplayer in futureResident Eviltitles.
