Since the announcement of Resident Evil 3 hot on the heels of the Resident Evil 2 remake, the survival horror franchise appears to be stopping for nothing. 2019 was a major year for Capcom including launching Resident Evil 2Devil May Cry 5, and continued support for Monster Hunter: World. Now rumors are circulating already regarding multiple new Resident Evil games and one of most talked about games is RE8. However, the Resident Evil 8 rumors are a bit contradictory at the moment.

Ever since the ending of Resident Evil 7 and its DLCs that tied the game into the Umbrella-related deep lore of the series, fans have been wondering what's next. Will a potential Resident Evil 8 be a direct sequel to 7 or will it take players to a whole new location with a new cast of characters? Will the game focus on Chris Redfield as potentially suggested by the end of the last game?

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Not much is known about the game aside from the fact that it reportedly exists in some stage of development at Capcom, yet exactly how far along it is in the project is up for debate. There are also rumors that other Resident Evil titles are in development and slated for release before Resident Evil 8.

Resident Evil 8 May Be Announced Soon

Earlier this month, a 4chan leak suggested that Resident Evil 8 might be getting a release announcement sometime in the very near future. Specifically, this leak claimed that the game could show up at the Playstation Meeting event on February 5, where Sony is expected to give more details on the Playstation 5 and upcoming games for the console. The rumor gives a thorough rundown of what is expected from the event and it includes showing off more of the PS5 than ever before. It also strongly suggests RE8 will be a next-gen game, which checks out if the release date isn't likely until 2021 or later.

A big question is whether or not Resident Evil 8 will stick to RE7's first-person camera, especially after the success of the third-person behind-the-back camera of RE2 that is being carried into the next major release with RE3. If the game is teased in February with just a short trailer this question may not get an answer for months or even another year, but not everyone is so sure that Resident Evil 8 is a priority for Capcom right now.

...Or Resident Evil 8 Development May Be On Hold

On the other hand, more recent information suggests that Capcom scrapped what was going to be Resident Evil 8 following the release of RE2 in mid-2019. According to game developer and Twitter user @AestheticGamer1, the game's development was paused in 2017 so that Capcom could focus on Resident Evil 7's DLC and Resident Evil 2.

The tweet thread asserted that there was a version of Resident Evil 8 in development around 2016 that went on pause the next year and was finally scrapped. Aesthetic Gamer notes that a new  version has been in development for less than a year and is going to be years out. It may build off some of the previous Resident Evil 8's plans, which could lead to a speedier development cycle than is typical from AAA games.

While this certainly delays the timeline and leaves room for Capcom to work on other Resident Evil projects between RE3 and the inevitable RE8, it does help strengthen the speculation that the game is indeed being worked on. It would be a no brainer for Capcom not to be working on the next numbered sequel over three years after RE7's release, but the success of the remakes has brought the franchise back in a major way that not even could muster on its own. With so many games potentially in development right now, it is safe to say Resident Evil is back and bigger than it has been in over a decade.

A New Resident Evil Game in 2021

It is starting to seem very unlikely that Resident Evil 8 will get a 2021 release, although news from the Sony event next month could prove that line of thinking to be incorrect. However, it is also rumored that a new Resident Evil game is planned for 2021, but that game will not be Resident Evil 8. Instead, a new game in the series that is neither a remake nor a new sequel is rumored to be released.

The game is hinted at in the same thread from AestheticGamer. He stated that the game is not a remake of an older game, but is also not Resident Evil 8. It will supposedly be a story-based spin-off from the franchise, but whether it leans more heavily into the horror or action elements of the series is yet to be divulged.

As development moves forward, games change and that's been especially true in the Resident Evil franchise. A leaked early version of Resident Evil 4 showed that game was once a more classic-style RE horror game, with fixed camera angles and slow, tense movement. Now, of course, we all know how revolutionary that game's eventual pivot to more action-focused gameplay ended up being. Another very early build of the game that was started up in 1999, right after the initial release of RE3, ended up being the basis for the original Devil May Cry in 2001.

Resident Evil: Resistance was supposed to be a stand-alone multiplayer game, but was eventually rolled into the upcoming remake of Resident Evil 3. This is all to say that plans change. Capcom could very well combine this upcoming game and Resident Evil 8 or scrap one and use that work to build up the other. One thing is for certain: Resident Evil is, once again, a critically acclaimed and exciting franchise.

Resident Evil 8 is rumored to be in development.

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