Fans of the survivor horror series Resident Evil (Biohazard in Japan) have been eagerly awaiting news about the upcoming Resident Evil 8, now known as Resident Evil Village. While the game isn't due to be released until 2021, that hasn't stopped a number of information leaks from players who claim to have taken part in an early play test reserved for "Resident Evil Ambassadors." The latest leak details lots of alleged new information, with probably the biggest news being that a Virtual Reality (VR) version of the game is in the works.
The leak claims that the VR version of Resident Evil Village will happen, but won't be announced "until Sony is ready", suggesting it may be exclusive to PlayStation VR. In addition, the leak talks about a boss fight with a witch named Olga, who releases a swarm of insects if they spot the main character Ethan. Weapons claimed to have been seen include handguns, shotguns, an unbreakable knife, as well as temporary breakable melee weapons such as an ax. The rumors also state that a difficulty mode labeled as "unfair" was jokingly discussed by producer Peter Fabiano, who was claimed to have attended one of the play tests.
After being rumored for release on the current gen machines, development of Resident Evil Village was said to have shifted to just the next-gen consoles, and only PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X versions have been officially announced. However, the play test was reported to have taken place on PlayStation 4 Pro machines, which may mean that the game is to be released for more than just the next-gen consoles, or potentially that play-testers were enjoying an older build of the game on the less powerful machines.
Resident Evil Village won't be the first time the series will have had the VR treatment, with the Resident Evil 7 campaign mode being available initially on PlayStation VR, and later on PC. The experiences Resident Evil: Walkthrough the Fear, and Resident Evil: Valiant Raid are also available exclusively at Plaza Capcom in Japan, which also contains an exclusive Mega Man VR experience, entitled Mega Man VR: Targeted Virtual World.
With such a dedicated fan base, it is inevitable that a hotly anticipated title such as Resident Evil Village will see many rumors flying about. As with all leaks and rumors though, they should be taken with a grain of salt until more details are confirmed, however it does appear that many of the details of this latest leak match those of previous rumors, including the presence of a VR version. From a next-generation perspective, if the rumored existence of a PlayStation VR version is accurate, it would strongly suggest that Sony are planning to give the device considerable support on PlayStation 5.
Thankfully Capcom are expected to show a new trailer sometime in August, so fans should be able to learn more fairly soon.
Resident Evil Village is scheduled to launch on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X in 2021.
Source: Biohazard Declassified