Resident Evil Village is almost upon us, now that Capcom's next installment in the long-running survival horror franchise is set to release in just a few weeks. Although players have yet to see how Resident Evil Village will continue the story of Ethan Winters and Chris Redfield, it appears that Capcom already has plans for the franchise's future.
Several weeks ago, Capcom revealed that Resident Evil Village is part of a trilogy that began with Resident Evil 7, and will end with Resident Evil 9. However, it appears now that Resident Evil Village is already having an impact on the next game, especially with the way Capcom labels its Resident Evil mainline games.
How Capcom Labels Resident Evil Mainline Games
From 1996 up until 2017's Resident Evil 7, every mainline entry in the series is labeled with a number that corresponds to their place in the franchise's timeline. The only exceptions to this rule are the first Resident Evil, which is obviously only called Resident Evil, and Resident Evil: Code Veronica, which took place after Resident Evil 3.
Sources are divided as to the official status of Resident Evil: Revelations 1 and 2. However, while the plot of those games is considered canon, many tend to categorize both as part of a separate Revelations subseries. For 25 years, Resident Evil fans got used to this straightforward system. Players would immediately know that every numbered Resident Evil game belongs to the main series apart from a few exceptions.
How Resident Evil Village Will Impact Resident Evil 9 and Beyond
Now, it appears that starting with Resident Evil Village, Capcom will be veering away from numbering its mainline entries to the franchise. When Capcom first unveiled Village, it is worth remembering that it was just called Resident Evil 8: Village before the company streamlined the title to Resident Evil Village. Interestingly enough, Capcom highlighted the first four letters of the word village to signify its roman numeral counterpart that translates to eight. The same approach was used in Resident Evil 7, where the last three letters of the word evil translate to the roman numeral counterpart of seven.
So what does this mean for Resident Evil 9? According to a notable Resident Evil leaker known as AestheticGamer, Capcom plans to dump the numbering system of its mainline Resident Evil games. AestheticGamer believes the reason for this is Capcom wants to eliminate the expectations that every Resident Evil game should build off from the story of a previous game.
Additionally, the line between the mainline games and the spin-off titles "is going to get murkier," especially since it is believed that Resident Evil will now become an annual franchise. All things considered, it appears that Resident Evil 7 will be the only numbered title in the new trilogy focused on the story of Ethan Winters and Chris Redfield. Similar to Resident Evil Village, the next mainline Resident Evil game will most probably not be called Resident Evil 9.
It is still too early to tell what the next game will be called altogether, but if Capcom takes the same Roman numeral approach, the subtitle of Resident Evil 9 will likely contain the letters IX. Whatever the name of the future game may be if what the reports claim turns out to be true, fans should now expect that future Resident Evil games won't be numbered, which could mean that Capcom may lessen or no longer produce spin-off titles to focus on annual mainline entries.
Resident Evil Village is releasing on May 7, 2021, for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.