2021 marks the 25th anniversary of Capcom’sResident Evil, which innovated the survival-horror genre and has stood the test of time as one of the most successful video game franchises ever. Capcom has yet to announce exactly what it has planned forResident Evilfor its 25th anniversary, but all will be revealed at the upcomingResident Evilfranchise showcase scheduled to take place on Thursday, January 21 at 2pm PT.
All fans know for sure about theResident Evil25th anniversary showcaseis that it will feature a new look atResident Evil 8, also known asResident Evil Village, the next entry in the long-running franchise. However, it’s possible that Capcom will use the showcase to highlight more about theResident Evilfranchise than justResident Evil 8, and a few distinct possibilities of what it may show come to mind.
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Come January 21, it will be interesting to see how many of theseResident Evilshowcase predictions come true.
Resident Evil 8 Release Date, Demo, and More
The big focus of theResident Evilshowcase will undoubtedly beResident Evil 8, with it being the only game that’s actually confirmed for the event so far. Considering this, fans should be able to expect a deep dive intoResident Evil 8’s gameplay, as well as a new look at the story and its characters. More specifically, Capcom may use the showcase to properly introduce franchise fans to some ofResident Evil 8’s antagonists, like the tall witch woman seen in some of the most recent promotional material.
Besides showing off moreResident Evil 8gameplay footage, it seems likely that Capcom will also announce the highly anticipated game’s release date as well. As it stands,Resident Evil 8is rumored to be launching in the first half of the year, with some of the latest leaks pointing to an April release date specifically. This would put theResident Evil 8release dateabout one year after the launch of theResident Evil 3remake, so it makes sense. Of course, there are all kinds of factors that may see Capcom change theResident Evil 8release date around, so fans should keep that in mind.
One potential reason why theResident Evil 8release date could end up being later than expected is the possibility that Capcom decides to make last-gen versions of the game as well. While not officially confirmed, Capcom has said in the past that it is looking into the possibility of releasinglast-gen versions ofResident Evil 8alongside the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions. Work on these versions could theoretically see Capcom push back its release date plans, though that’s just speculation at this time. Hopefully more information comes to light at the showcase event.
If Capcom does announce theResident Evil 8release date, it seems likely that it will also announce its plans for aResident Evil 8playable demo. Capcom has a long history of releasing demos for its games prior to launch, and rumors have already been pointing in that direction forRE8as well. If the rumors are to be believed, theResident Evil 8demo will be a timed exclusive for PlayStation, and with Sony heavily promoting theResident Evilshowcase itself, that’s not hard to believe at all.
While it can’t be said with certainty exactly what Capcom will be showing ofResident Evil 8at the showcase, it’s quite possible that a release date, demo information, and a new look at the gameplay are in store for fans.
Resident Evil Multiplayer Game
Resident Evil 8will be the main focus of theResident Evilshowcase on January 21, but that doesn’t mean that Capcom can’t announce other games as well. One distinct possibility is that Capcom pulls the curtain back on thepreviously leakedResident Evilmultiplayer gamethat is supposedly in development for a late 2021 release. Details on what exactly thisResident Evilmultiplayer game is are hard to come by, but members of the Resident Evil Ambassador program have tested it recently, making it even more likely that it will be revealed at the showcase.
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If Capcom doesn’t announce a newResident Evilmultiplayer game during the showcase, though, perhaps it will reveal new content for the existing one. While it hasn’t really caught on like Capcom may have hoped, theResident Evil 3remake launched with a multiplayer-only experience calledResident Evil: Resistance.Resident Evil: Resistanceis an asymmetric multiplayer horror game that hasn’t exactly been all that well-received by franchise fans, but maybe Capcom has a big update planned that can renew interest in the game.
Resident Evil Movie Reboot and Other Media
TheResident Evilshowcase on January 21 will most likely focus exclusively on video games, but maybe it will also give fans their first looks at otherResident Evilprojects in development. The most exciting possibility would be a trailer drop for theResident Evilmovie rebootthat’s premiering in theaters later this year, though with it having only finished filming just recently, that seems like a longshot.
Some otherResident Evilprojects that could potentially be highlighted during the showcase are the upcoming Netflix projects. Netflix has a live-actionResident EvilTV series in development that will follow the exploits of Albert Wesker’s children, and it also has an animated series that’s set in the same universe as the video games. With theResident Evil: Infinite DarknessNetflix series being canon to the games, it stands the best chance at being featured at the showcase, but again, Capcom may want to focus entirely on games themselves instead.
Resident Evil Re-Releases
Capcom has never been shy about its love of remasters, remakes, and re-releases.Capcom has remastered and re-released almost everyResident Evilgamemultiple times across multiple generations, and there’s no reason for it to stop now. The bulk of theResident Evillibrary is already playable on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X thanks to those consoles being backward compatible with the PS4 and Xbox One, but new versions of the games could take better advantage of the beefier hardware provided by the next-generation systems.
Some have taken the officialResident EvilTwitter account’s recent tweets to mean that the company is indeed planning on re-releasing oldResident Evilgames. For those who haven’t been following the situation, theResident EvilTwitter account has been counting down the days to the showcase by showing off items from oldResident Evilgames and the animation that accompanied them being added to characters' inventories. Of course, it’s entirely possible fans are reading a little too much into those tweets, so they should keep their expectations in check.
A Tease for the Future
IfResident Evilfans are lucky, it’s possible Capcom will tease some of its projects that are coming beyond 2021. Theunfortunate Capcom ransomware attackhas spilled the beans on futureResident Evilprojects, including the aforementioned multiplayer game, something calledBiohazard Apocalypse, and another title referred to internally asResident Evil Hank. Finer details about these games are unavailable at this time, and it would be a big surprise if Capcom featured any of them at the showcase.
Besides the mysteriousResident Evilmultiplayer game, the one unannouncedResident Evilproject that stands the best chance at being revealed is therumoredResident Evil 4remake. While it’s almost certainlynotgoing to be revealed at the showcase, theResident Evil 4remake is said to be aiming for release in Q4 of 2022, so it will likely be the next main series release afterResident Evil 8. This means fans have a better chance at seeing it than the games that are only known by their working titles, but even then, no one should expect to seeResident Evil 4remake at the showcase.
Of course, Capcom could have some big surprises up its sleeve forResident Evilfans that no one has predicted yet, so fans should be sure to tune in on January 21 at 2pm PT to see all the bigResident Evilfranchise announcements.
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