With Resident Evil Village coming out this May, Resident Evil players are looking forward to what the upcoming sequel brings to the franchise. Things like the game's new location, the supernatural-themed enemies, and the lead villain Lady Dimitrescu, who's taken the internet by storm with each appearance. However, one element making a return to the sequel is Resident Evil 7's protagonist, Ethan Winters.
It's no secret that Ethan Winters will be making his return as the protagonist for Resident Evil Village to find his kidnapped daughter. However, Capcom recently revealed in Issue #185 of PlayStation Official Magazine why it chose to bring back Ethan Winters as the protagonist for the sequel. Most of which has to do with the developers growing attached to the character and wanted to continue his story in Resident Evil Village.
Game Producer Peter Fabiano spoke in an interview with PlayStation Official Magazine about the developer brining Ethan back. He said, "The team grew quite attached to Ethan as a character, so we knew we wanted to continue his story arc." According to Fabiano, the team wanted players to experience the game from Ethan's perspective, especially since the sequel is a continuation of Resident Evil 7's story.
Keeping the game focused on Ethan Winters also helped keep Capcom's vision for the sequel on track since it will center on Ethan's journey. Fabiano said this also helped the developers coordinate development since the Resident Evil teams share information with each other. This helps them further flesh out Resident Evil Village as the best survival-horror game, at least in Fabiano's words.
Ethan as the protagonist brings some benefits to the game development since the developers can coordinate better on a shared vision for the game. However, Ethan isn't the only character making a return in the sequel. Franchise mainstay Chris Redfield is returning for Resident Evil Village, but to what capacity is unknown at this point. Most of the game's promotion paints a potentially antagonistic role for Chris, but it's possible there may be more to it than that. Overall, there is a big mystery behind his involvement in the game's story.
Considering the success of Resident Evil 7, it does make sense that Capcom would bring back Ethan Winters, especially if the developers liked him. Of course, some players would like to see the rest of the franchise's main heroes back as protagonists again. With Chris Redfield's inclusion in the sequel, it's possible players might see some mention of the other characters. For now, Resident Evil Village will continue Ethan Winters' story, and players will be able to see where his journey takes them.
Resident Evil Village is set to launch May 7, 2021 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: PlayStation Official Magazine (via Game Informer)