The Resident Evil series has seen a resurgence of love in recent years. This trend began with the release of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, which was a massive departure from the standard Resident Evil experience. New characters, a first-person point of view, and a setting that felt smaller and more personal than that of Resident Evil 6 left an impact on players the world over.
While the seventh mainline game in the series saw adequate success, the next big moment for the franchise came with the remake of Resident Evil 2. This entry scored a victory with fans of the classic Resident Evil games as well as newcomers to the series. This trend seems to be continuing with the newly released Resident Evil 3 Remake.
So, where does Resident Evil go from here? Well, there has been a swirl of really odd leaks and rumors regarding the next entry in the franchise in recent months. Here is everything we know about Resident Evil 8 so far.
It will have a first-person viewpoint
Following the success of the remakes, it’s understandable to wonder what gameplay path the new games will take. According to the latest rumors, however, it seems that the first-person viewpoint from Resident Evil 7 is sticking around for at least one more adventure.
There will be returning protagonists
Resident Evil 7 introduced us to Ethan Winters, a character who was essentially a blank slate with very little personality. Ethan made his way through the events of that game with relatively little reaction to the events that were unfolding. Rumors suggest that this stoic character may be back for one more round, alongside series veteran Chris Redfield.
Maybe Chris will play a larger or more central role. On the other hand, the return of Ethan may signal a little more character development for him this time around.
The title is reportedly Resident Evil: Village
Resident Evil 7 had the subtitle “Biohazard,” which was a nod to the Japanese name of the series. In Japan, the game was titled Biohazard 7: Resident Evil, as well. It has been said that the new game will also have a subtitle like this.
BiohazardCast.com reports that the title will be Resident Evil: Village, with parts of the “VILL” in “VILLAGE” highlighted to form a roman numeral eight (VIII). This points to the setting being a small settlement with an infected populace. The same report says the game will take place in Europe and be a tale of folk horror.
The paranormal may be explored
Resident Evil is a series that is firmly planted in biological horror. Therefore, there has always been an explanation behind the mutations and monsters featured within. Of course, these explanations have always been pretty loosely scientific and a bit silly, but they existed, nonetheless.
Resident Evil 8 is said to be taking a look into the paranormal, however. This is something that has never been meaningfully explored in the series, and may be a way to expand the series a bit. For instance, there may be witchcraft and other occult topics addressed.
Werewolves could be a new enemy type
One of the most shocking rumors being spread about Resident Evil 8 has been the inclusion of beastly enemies. According to many, these new foes will bear a major resemblance to werewolves. Apparently these beasts will be fast, strong, and relentless in their hunt for the player.
Maybe this will be Resident Evil 8’s version of Nemesis or Mr. X? Resident Evil 7 also had the fearsome Jack Baker as a consistent foe, so another enemy such as this sounds plausible.
Werewolves, however, sound a bit different for the classic zombie series. Speaking of which…
Zombies will probably make a return
Resident Evil 7 didn’t actually feature zombies. There were “Molded” enemies that took the place of zombies and functioned similarly, but not legitimate zombies as seen in the earlier games. In order to get closer to the series’ roots, Resident Evil 8 may feature classic zombies once again, which would be a stark contrast to new enemies like werewolves or witches.
If the recent remakes are anything to go by, these classic enemies still have a little bit of nightmare fuel in them. Perhaps they’ll be improved upon in some way, too.
Resident Evil 8 started as a spin-off sequel
It isn’t uncommon for a video game side adventure to be bumped up to a mainline entry. One rumor states that Resident Evil 8 actually started off as Resident Evil: Revelations 3. The Revelations series serves as side games that shed a little more light on the events in mainline games. Therefore, this may have been a chance to answer some questions left behind by Resident Evil 7.
If this is true, then the content must have grown so interesting that it was bumped up to a mainline sequel.
Production is well under way
Some leaks have stated that there is a functioning demo of the game already. A lot of these reports come from this supposed slice of the game that features the opening of the game. While this doesn’t necessarily mean that Resident Evil 8 is far along, it does mean that the unannounced game is being worked on quietly.
It will reportedly be a cross-gen game
With the next generation of consoles coming at us quickly, there are questions as to which consoles Resident Evil 8 will release on. Reports indicate that the game will be released on both current and next-gen devices.
Now the question is whether or not these versions would release simultaneously or apart. There’s always a chance that current generation releases would come first with special editions for the PS5 and Xbox Series X to follow months after.
A source at Gematsu also says that Resident Evil 8 will feature PlayStation VR support, just like RE7 did.
Resident Evil 8 will supposedly arrive in early 2021
Due to the recent upheaval of all game development schedules, this rumor may not be accurate anymore. However, it was at one point said that the game would be aiming for a release window of Q1 2021. If that was the case, the title may have been revealed at the now canceled E3 2020.
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