To varying degrees in each entry, the Resident Evil franchise has iterated and experimented greatly on the survival horror formula it pioneered in 1996. From the slow-paced and vulnerable beginnings of Resident Evil to the more action-oriented future entries like Resident Evil 3: Nemesis and beyond, the franchise has seen a lot of evolution and revolution across its video game legacy.
Looking ahead, there’s now been a litany of rumors surrounding Resident Evil 8 telling all sorts of different stories from werewolves to medieval castles. Though it’s likely several of these rumors are untrue or vastly exaggerated, the sheer amount of these rumors in general points to a vastly different mentality from Capcom for Resident Evil’s future. It’s clear that, in some form, Capcom is taking the series’ revered survival horror into a completely new direction.
Resident Evil 8 Rumor Roundup
Many of the rumors surrounding Resident Evil 8 offer a variety of different takes on what’s coming to the next entry. Outlets have reported and fans have heard about rumors involving witches, werewolves, vampires, medieval castles, and a variety of other left-field picks for the next Resident Evil game. The earliest of these rumors came in late January and early February, where initially a leaker stated that there was a Resident Evil “spin-off” in development that was vastly different from its predecessors. Many expected the full reveal to come from the rumored PS5 reveal event that was supposed to occur in February, which despite several rumors, never occurred.
After February, the rumor mill began to move towards this “spin-off” shifting its development focus into a full-on numbered entry in the Resident Evil franchise. This initial RE8 rumor discussed new enemy types in general, though several follow-up rumors seem to point to the example of werewolves specifically. Beyond that, some rumors purport Resident Evil 8 would be a continuation from Resident Evil 7’s story in several ways: Ethan Winters would return as the protagonist, again in first-person perspective, along with returning veteran Chris Redfield joining Ethan in some fashion. On the other hand, not necessarily contradicting this, is the most recent set of rumors that indicate the next title is called Resident Evil 8: The Village, combining a number of the upcoming and already mentioned rumors.
Apparently, the main narrative of Resident Evil 8 would take on more supernatural cues, with the main antagonist reportedly being some kind of spectral witch or ghost-like entity who appears female. Later rumors have yet to corroborate anything about the game’s antagonist, but did point out that the other enemy types would feature armored zombies in a medieval setting. There were even rumors of a specific moment supposedly witnessed during a Resident Evil Ambassador Program playtest session, where players participated in the siege of a castle and fought “Beast Men, zombies in armor with swords, and a Witch that laughs a lot.” While these rumors are all fascinating but potentially falsified in varying degrees, the consensus does point to a very different Resident Evil 8 coming in 2021.
Witches and Werewolves
Now there is some plausibility to some of these rumors surrounding Resident Evil 8. Primarily the rumors of medieval themes have been reported and corroborated by several sources, though many of the specific details differ between leakers. It’s never explicitly stated if it’s a medieval time period or simply involves a medieval-esque castle setting akin to Resident Evil 4’s Castellan castle. Only the most recent rumors have stated anything about a castle siege of some kind, so that specific example may not necessarily be true. However, many reports and rumors point to mythically inspired enemies like werewolves (a simpler term, the original leak called the enemy type “Beast men”) and witches.
Obviously nothing has been officially confirmed by Capcom at this point. With the sheer volume of similar leaks from several sources, Resident Evil fans at bare minimum should expect something completely different coming for the next entry. Though some fans have gone as far to think the gameplay is going to be radically different, leaks and rumors about Resident Evil 8 point to a game that’s similar in function but thematically different. AestheticGamer, one of the most prominent leakers, states the game isn’t chasing any kind of modern video game trends/stereotypes, rather Resident Evil 8 will be “a lot stranger than that.”
(R)evolution
Capcom as of late has been focused on its fantastic remakes of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3, but it’s clear the Resident Evil franchise has a crazy evolution of the series in the pipeline that fans may not be ready for. Granted there’s the possibility that none of it is true, but with multiple leakers and rumors aligning several key details between info dumps, it’s hard not to draw some early conclusions. Putting aside any specific details about werewolves, witches, or medieval castles, the surprising success of Resident Evil 7 is a potential indication of where the series may be headed as well.
Resident Evil 7 was a huge departure for the series in a number of ways. Gameplay was fundamentally reworked with the first-person perspective, likely inspired by P.T.’s massive success. The setting was condensed back to its roots, with the player pretty much entirely contained within the Baker residence. The narrative similarly unraveled a greater mystery to the monstrous Baker family to which players spent the game escaping from. It was a serious heel turn from the heavily action-oriented predecessor Resident Evil 6, bringing a much greater focus on the survival horror origins of Resident Evil.
As Resident Evil 7 resonated with fans quite well, along with the remakes, it seems Capcom is now willing to take more chances on the revered franchise once more. Despite Capcom sending out a survey gauging fan interest in Resident Evil, it seems there’s already a plan in motion to once again drastically reshape the franchise’s identity into something even broader. Assuming it is the supernatural, medieval tale all these rumors make it out to be, prepare for something even crazier in Resident Evil 8.
Resident Evil 8 is reportedly in development.
