We’re looking forward to another narrative-driven single-player experience in Resident Evil Requiem. This wasn’t always Capcom’s vision for the ninth main game in the series, and the game’s producer has given us all some insight into the team’s thought process.
Resident Evil and multiplayer don’t have the greatest of history together. Umbrella Corps is considered the worst Resident Evil game ever, and Re:Verse had its servers shut down with just 86 players on the final day. It might be for the best that Resident Evil Requiem won’t have multiplayer, but the reasons why are fascinating.
Resident Evil 9 Originally Had Multiplayer
We initially learned that Resident Evil 9 started as an ‘Open-World multiplayer game. This was later confirmed, but now we’ve learned even more about what this looked like and why the plans were shelved in favor of a more traditional solo focus.
Producer Masato Kumazawa spoke to Press Start about Resident Evil Requiem’s original design choices:
“Looking at the game when it was multiplayer, the horror part was very mild. However, in that build, we made a game that was fun to play. But we looked deeply into this game and wondered if a fan of the franchise would really like this, so we thought they would probably wouldn’t enjoy it as much. That’s the reason we made it back into single player. But because it was fun, we added elements from that build to the final game to ensure it was fun.”
The game is now a purely single-player-focused game like Resident Evil 7 and Village. Requiem bosses will have players ‘using their wits’ and there’s a new Stalker Monster to look out for.
Again, the series doesn’t have a great track record with multiplayer games. Given how successful the last two mainline games have been, it makes sense to keep to the roots of the franchise that everyone has become fond of and fearful of.
Are you looking forward to Resident Evil Requiem? Was it the right decision to leave out multiplayer? Let us know through the Insider Gaming Discord Server.
If you’re a fan, you should definitely read about Resident Evil Requiem’s Producer Addressing The Leon Kennedy Rumors.
