Last month, Netflix made a surprising announcement when it revealed Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness, an animated series set in the Resident Evil games universe. It's worth noting that Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness is different from the other Resident Evil project at Netflix, which will be a live-action movie that appears to be loosely based on the video game franchise.
At the moment, the exact plot of Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness is still unknown, but it has been confirmed that the animated series will star Resident Evil veterans, Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield. Moreover, Netflix confirmed that Infinite Darkness would be part of the video game franchise's canon several days ago. The big question that most fans probably have is where the video game franchise's timeline will Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness occur?
In Between Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6
As previously mentioned, the story of Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness remains a mystery, which is why the animated series could fit just about anywhere in Resident Evil's 24-year history. However, one major clue that Netflix has provided right now is Leon and Claire; age. Looking at the photos released so far, it is obvious that both Leon and Claire are a little bit on the older side, which debunks any possibility of the Netflix series to take place immediately after Resident Evil 2 and before Resident Evil Code Veronica.
One possibility where the series could fit would be somewhere in between Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6. To those unfamiliar, the gap between these two games is set in the years 2009-2012. In Resident Evil 5, players witnessed the Kijuju Incident that featured Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar, but what Leon and Claire were up to remains unknown during this time. The next we see of Leon is during Resident Evil 6 in late 2012, and Claire in Resident Evil Revelations 2, which took place after Resident Evil 6 in 2014. The series could revolve around how Leon got involved with the events leading up to RE6 and how Claire became a prominent figure in the non-governmental human rights agency TerraSave.
In Between Resident Evil 6 and Resident Evil 7
Another place in the timeline where Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness could likely fit is the period in between Resident Evil 6 and 7, which falls somewhere in 2012-2017. It's worth remembering that due to the disappointing sales of Resident Evil 6, Capcom was forced to take a step back and really think about where it wants to bring the franchise moving forward. After years in development, Capcom released Resident Evil 7, a huge departure from previous games in the franchise, not only in terms of gameplay but also in its story.
Moreover, Resident Evil 7's story is almost completely unrelated to its predecessors, apart from a short appearance from Chris Redfield. Even then, Chris' appearance in the game and its DLC is the only link to the previous games given that the direction of his story in Resident Evil 7 also took a completely different turn. Of course, in terms of game design, this is just Capcom's way of rebooting the franchise, but in terms of the overall plot, it is obvious that there is a missing link between Resident Evil 7 and everything that came before it.
Having said that, it is possible that Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness will fill in the missing gap between the established story and the new direction that Capcom took in Resident Evil 7 and will continue in Resident Evil 8. The animated series could revolve around the events leading up to Resident Evil 7, such as a more in-depth introduction of The Connections, The Mold, and Blue Umbrella, especially since the latter may play a big role in Resident Evil 8. Nonetheless, out of all the possible places in the timeline Infinite Darkness could fall into, Netflix has the perfect opportunity to bridge the gap between the old and the new games.
Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness is scheduled to release in 2021.