A recent trademark filing has led some people to wonder if Square Enix might finally be working on a Parasite Eve remake. After a releasing a series of remastered games, including a complete overhaul of Final Fantasy 7, the video game publisher had been mum about remaking its survival horror title, but fans of the game seem hopeful now.
First released in 1998 for the PS1, Parasite Eve was derived from Hideaki Sena's novel of the same name. It follows New York City police officer Aya Brea as she hunts down the deadly biological entity named Eve that's threatening to kill all life on Earth. At the time, the game redefined the survival horror genre because of its RPG-style approach to combat, making it one of Square's most popular PS1 games. It subsequently had two sequels: Parasite Eve II in 1999 and The 3rd Birthday in 2010.
Fast forward to October 13, when Square Enix filed a trademark for "Symbiogenesis," which was made public just recently. A quick dictionary search shows that symbiogenesis, also known as endosymbiotic theory, is when two organisms merge into one. It also happens to be the basis of Sena's Parasite Eve novel, where Eve is believed to be the product of this evolutionary theory.
As of writing, Square Enix has not confirmed anything about a possible Parasite Eve remake. This also isn't the first time the video game publisher has stirred up rumors of a Parasite Eve revival. In 2019, the company filed a trademark for the title Parasite Eve in the UK. However, there were no further updates on Square Enix's future projects involving the trademark.
Survival horror fans have been raring to see Parasite Eve get the Final Fantasy treatment for years. Considering how Square Enix managed to modernize the combat and RPG tactics of FF7, Parasite Eve may very well benefit from this. Of course, it would also be exciting to see the gruesome sci-fi elements in higher quality, such as when players are introduced to Eve for the first time.
Square Enix could also use this as an opportunity to introduce the franchise to players who didn't get to play Parasite Eve when it first launched. Although the first two games were made available on the Playstation Store in 2011, they were removed following Sony's decision to stop supporting older hardware. This makes it extremely difficult for old and new players to access the game, unless they had the game discs and their old PlayStation consoles. If Square Enix is looking for another franchise to revive in the near future, Parasite Eve is definitely a good one to bring back as a remake or reboot.
Parasite Eve was originally released on March 29, 1998, for the PS1.
Source: Gematsu