Capcom May Reboot Resident Evil
After the critical and commercial failings of Resident Evil 6, Capcom is seriously considering going back to the drawing board for the whole franchise.
Speaking with Eurogamer, Masachika Kawata, producer of Resident Evil: Revelations, discussed the chances of a franchise reboot based on the lack of support for Resident Evil 6. "[We] would want to preserve what Resident Evil is and what makes it appealing to fans, while also making it accessible to new players," Kawata said. "It would almost entail having a slight reboot to get the series into a place where it would work with open-world gameplay. That's just a personal opinion."
Of course, Capcom isn't willing to throw the zombie out with the bathwater. The company will be looking at the response to the console version of Revelations before moving ahead with any kind of radical decision. "Once we see Revelations released on consoles, we'll be looking very carefully at how the title is received and what feedback we get," Kawata added. "I think we'll get a lot of input from the fanbase and the media on what it means for Resident Evil, and what it could mean for the future of the series. We'll definitely be looking at that as a signpost for where we need to be going next."
Kawata has had a hand in several Resident Evil titles dating back to Resident Evil 4, so he is no stranger to taking risks in the series' development. "A lot of decisions would have to be taken before something like that is done to the series, but it is something that..." Kawata said. "There is a possibility."
What do you think? Is it time to hit the reset button on Resident Evil, or can the franchise be saved?