Multiple playable characters confirmed for upcoming RE title; Gothic horror focus; Large interconnected areas instead of open world; Final location differs from early rumors; Numerical sequel naming discontinued; Major franchise storyline changes expected

AestheticGamer1 shared a comprehensive breakdown of everything he’s revealed about the next Resident Evil game over recent years. Here are the key points that haven’t been widely discussed here:

Development History:

  • Started in 2017 as a response to RE7’s initial sales performance
  • Originally planned as RE8 but shifted to RE9 around 2019
  • Early concept was open world co-op on a fictional Singapore island (scrapped 2020-2021)
  • Jill Valentine was originally the co-op partner but has no major role in final version

Current Game Details:

  • Leon remains primary protagonist but won’t be the sole playable character
  • Single campaign structure with multiple character options
  • Third-person perspective maintained
  • Large interconnected areas rather than true open world design
  • Strong gothic horror atmosphere with witchy elements
  • Horror emphasis over action despite Leon being the lead

Technical and Release Info:

  • Uses RE Engine improvements from Dragon’s Dogma 2 and Monster Hunter Wilds
  • Biggest budget in series history
  • Won’t include numerical designation in official title
  • Originally planned for Summer 2024 reveal/Early 2025 launch
  • Now targeting 2026 release after multiple development delays

Franchise Impact:

  • Will introduce major status quo changes to the RE universe
  • Designed as both conclusion and new beginning
  • Ends storyline that began with original RE while opening doors for different horror narratives
  • Aims to reinvent series formula while honoring RE1 roots

The leaker emphasizes this represents years of teasing rather than concrete leaks, summarizing claims made since 2020.

Dropping the numbers makes sense honestly. The timeline got so convoluted anyway and it sounds like they want a fresh start. I’m just hoping the interconnected areas thing doesn’t mean backtracking hell like some of the older games.

Gothic horror with Leon sounds weird but I’m curious how they’ll pull it off

Really curious what they mean by major status quo changes. That could either be amazing or completely mess up what makes RE special.

Multiple playable characters could work really well if they do it like RE2 remake

The witchy stuff sounds intriguing. Wonder if they’re going full supernatural or staying grounded like usual. Either way, the gothic vibe could be a nice change of pace.