In just a few short days, Capcom is releasing Resident Evil Village, which is the next mainline game in the franchise and will see the return of Chris Redfield and Ethan Winters. It is yet to be seen how Resident Evil Village will fare against its predecessors, but it appears that the game is on the right track given the growing anticipation for its launch.
While most players patiently wait for Resident Evil Village's release, some are probably wondering what Capcom plans for the series next. Although Capcom still has to officially lay out its plans for the future of Resident Evil, here is a breakdown of the games that could come next after the release of Resident Evil Village.
Resident Evil 9
It is worth noting that while Resident Evil 9 is still unannounced, the game will likely be made, especially since Resident Evil remains one of Capcom's crown jewels. Just last year, the Resident Evil franchise passed a major milestone after Capcom announced that the entire series has since sold a total of 103 million sales globally. Major contributors of these figures are Resident Evil 5, Resident Evil 6, and Resident Evil 7. Given the reception Resident Evil Village has received before its launch, the upcoming game will likely boost the overall sales performance of the franchise.
As far as where Resident Evil 9 could take the franchise's story next, notable leaker AestheticGamer claims that Capcom has already planned Resident Evil 9 to end the story that began with Resident Evil 7. Specifically, the leaker claims that some story events from Resident Evil 7 would be explained in Resident Evil Village, which will then be concluded in Resident Evil 9. While specifics were not mentioned, it is worth remembering that Capcom hinted that the story of either Chris or Ethan would end in Village.
Resident Evil 4 Remake
Ever since the release of Resident Evil 2 and 3 remakes, speculation on which game Capcom will remake next has been through the roof. Unfortunately, Capcom still hasn't announced which game will be reimagined next, but many believe it will be Resident Evil 4. Just recently, Capcom announced that Resident Evil 4 would be re-released as a VR game exclusive to Oculus Quest 2. While it remains unclear whether the VR version is the long-rumored remake, a leak after a ransomware attack on Capcom last year claims that the company is planning a full-fledged Resident Evil 4 remake set to release in 2022.
Other Rumored Resident Evil Games
The same leak also revealed other Resident Evil games on Capcom's pipeline. Assuming that the leak is legitimate, fans should expect to see at least one Resident Evil game released every year from 2021 to 2024. Apart from Resident Evil Village, the leak claims that Capcom is releasing another Resident Evil game this year, which is the spin-off game called Resident Evil Outrage. Rumors claim that Resident Evil Outrage is the third game under the Revelations sub-series. While specific plot details remain a mystery, Resident Evil Outrage could see the return of Jill Valentine and Claire Redfield, both of whom appeared in the first and second Resident Evil Revelations.
As mentioned, the leak puts Resident Evil 4 Remake for a Q4 2022 release, followed by Biohazard Apocalypse in Q3 of 2023. For the uninitiated, Biohazard is the official name of Resident Evil in Japan. The document likely listed the rumored game as such to separate it from Resident Evil Apocalypse from the film franchise. Lastly, the leaked document claims that Q4 2024 will see the release of another game called Resident Evil Hank. While it remains to be seen whether the leaked document is legitimate, it appears that fans could expect Resident Evil to be an annual franchise.
Resident Evil Village is releasing on May 7, 2021, for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.