Yesterday, Capcom held a half-hour showcase featuring many exciting updates on games such asMonster Hunter, EXOPRIMAL,Dragon’s Dogma, andResident Evil. Unsurprisingly, given the hype forthe recently announced remake ofResident Evil 4,Resident Evilspent most of the time under the spotlight with RE4 receiving an extended preview trailer.
Apart fromResident Evil 4, Capcom also gave fans an update on the long-awaited DLC ofResident Evil Village. As confirmed by the studio, the DLC, titled Shadows of Rose,follows the journey of Rose Winters16 years after the events ofResident Evil Village. However, while Shadows of Rose is only a story expansion, its huge time jump may indicate the solidification of the soft reboot of theResident Evilfranchise.
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How Resident Evil 7 and Village Steered the Franchise Into a New Direction
It is no secret that duringResident Evil 6’srelease in 2012, fans started falling out of love with the franchise. To combatResident Evil’sdwindling popularity,Capcom decided to shake things up inResident Evil 7by introducing a new storyline centered around a new cast of characters. While the concept of bioterrorism is still present in allResident Evilgames, the progression of the franchise’s mainline story has always been from the perspective of Chris Redfield (RE1, RE5, RE6, RE7, RE Village), Jill Valentine (RE1, RE3, RE5), Leon Kennedy (RE2, RE4, RE6), and Claire Redfield (RE2, RE Code Veronica).
However, to provide players with a new experience, Capcom introduced newcomer Ethan Winters as the main protagonist forResident Evil 7andVillage, and Chris is the only character from the old games to appear in the latest installments. WithResident Evil Villageclosing the story of Ethan Winters, players are curious about what will happen next. Some speculate that Capcom may be planning to bring the franchise full circle by reintroducing other characters from oldResident Evilgames. However, if the next main installment in theResident Evilfranchise will follow the timeline of Shadows of Rose, then the return of these characters may be unlikely.
Why Shadows of Rose May Solidify Resident Evil’s New Direction
While no one knows how Capcom is planning to treat Shadows of Rose, there are two possible scenarios on how it could affect future installments in the franchise. First, Shadows of Rose could just be a mere DLC and nothing else, andResident Evil 9could reunite the franchise with the characters established beforeResident Evil 7. However, if Shadows of Rose is a set-up forResident Evil 9, then it is unlikely that for the old characters to return to the story in a significant capacity.
As confirmed in the trailer, Shadows of Rose is set 16 years afterResident Evil Village. Given this huge time jump,Chris, Jill, Leon, and Claire, will all be in their early sixties. While Rose mentioned Chris in the trailer, he is likely no longer on active duty due to his advanced age. The same can be said for Jill and Leon, who work for the B.S.A.A. (Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance) and the US government, respectively.
Of course,Resident Evilcontinuing the path started byResident Evil 7is not necessarily bad, especially since the old characters have already spent considerable time under the spotlight. Not to mention, the soft reboot introduced inResident Evil 7thatVillagecontinued revived the franchise’s massive popularity, satisfying both veteran players and newcomers. In the end, theResident Evilfranchise has always flourished by introducing monumental changes to its formula. InResident Evil 4, the changes Capcom introduced made it a beloved entry and introduced the franchise to a new audience. Similarly, the focus on new characters and the continued evolution of the storyline may very well lead theResident Evilfranchise to new frontiers and extend its popularity for another 25 years.
Resident Evil Villageis out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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