Ever since its introduction back in 1996, Resident Evil has become one of Capcom's most important video game franchises. In its 24-years of existence, Resident Evil has spawned numerous video games across multiple console generations, a live-action film franchise, and a handful of CGI films. Andthroughout the survival horror series' long history, Capcom has introduced a wide variety of characters, and it is without a doubt that most fans consider Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Leon Kennedy, and Claire Redfield as the most important protagonists in Resident Evil.
Now, two new things are headed for the Resident Evil video game universe in 2021. First is Resident Evil 8, which will star Chris Redfield alongside Ethan Winters; second is the CGI film, Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness, which will feature Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield as the lead stars. However, while most fans are excited about these new projects set in the universe of Resident Evil games, some are now wondering why Capcom appears to have been neglecting Jill Valentine. Of course, the studio just released Resident Evil 3 remake this year, but it is important to remember that the 2020 remake is just a retelling of Jill's story back from 1998.
What Happened to Jill Valentine?
Based on the official canon of the Resident Evil video game franchise, the last time that fans saw Jill Valentine is in Resident Evil 5, which is set in 2009. In that game, fans learned that Jill was abducted by Albert Wesker and was put under mind control via a device that has been placed on her chest. Towards the end of the game, Chris Redfield and his new partner Sheva Alomar were able to free Jill under Wesker's control and return her safely to the BSAA. In Resident Evil Revelations 2, Barry Burton revealed in an email that Jill is undergoing rehabilitation after the events of Resident Evil 5, and he mentions that she can't wait to get back into the field. However, this is the last time that the games have mentioned Jill's whereabouts, and the CGI movies, which are set in the same universe as the games, never mention her at all.
Understandably, some fans are now concerned as to why Capcom hasn't been featuring Jill in new games and CGI movies for so long. There has been no mention of her in Resident Evil 8, and the recent announcement of the upcoming CGI series Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness makes no mention of her involvement as well. Given Jill's importance to the overall plot of Resident Evil, it is a mystery as to why Capcom hasn't been using her in new material, especially since the studio has heavily featured Chris, Leon, and Claire in new games and CGI films. So why won't Capcom feature Jill Valentine again?
Why Capcom Won't Feature Jill in New Games and CGI Projects
At the moment, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact reason as to why Capcom is neglecting to feature Jill in a new Resident Evil project. However, looking at the sales performance of Resident Evil games, it is worth noting that those titles that have Jill as the main character did not perform as well as other entries. Overall, Jill is the main playable character in three main entries in the franchise: Resident Evil, Resident Evil 3, and Resident Evil Revelations. Among those three games, the first Resident Evil, and its 2002 remake, are Jill's most successful games, ranking at 7th and 8th respectively in comparison to the sales performance of other Resident Evil games.
Resident Evil 3 and its 2020 remake ranked in 9th and 12th respectively, and Resident Evil Revelations ranked 13th overall with sales of 2.6 million. Given this, it is possible that the reason why Capcom has been ignoring Jill Valentine is due to the fact that the games where she served as the main protagonist didn't perform as well as those that featured Chris Redfield and Leon Kennedy.
However, it is worth noting that Jill is not the reason why those games had lackluster sales. Fans should remember that the first Resident Evil remake sold poorly given that it was released first to the Nintendo GameCube when most Resident Evil fans were on the PS2. The same is true for Resident Evil Revelations given that it was first released to the 3DS. However, both games were eventually released to the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One, which boosted the performance of those games, and it is likely that overall sales could have been better had those games been released to the PlayStation and Xbox right from the beginning.
Although Jill remains a popular character among Resident Evil fans, the poor sales of the games she's featured in may have damaged her reputation as a bankable character, which may have influenced her absence in recent games and projets, excluding the RE3 remake.
Of course, the best way to describe Jill's situation is being in the wrong place at the wrong time given that she remains popular among fans of the Resident Evil franchise despite the lackluster sales of her games. At the moment, it is still unclear whether Jill will appear at one point in Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness, but the latest trailer hinted that the show will mostly revolve around Leon and Claire. Additionally, while Jill is not expected to appear in Resident Evil 8, there is a big reason why she should return to the franchise, at least in the upcoming game.
In the debut trailer of Resident Evil 8, it has been hinted that Chris Redfield's story will come to a close. If this proves to be true, then it is only appropriate that Jill makes an appearance in one way or the other given that it wouldn't really be a complete closure of Chris's story if Jill is not part of it.
Resident Evil 8 is in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.