Resident Evil Requiem

Resident Evil Requiem (internally known as RE9) is the next mainline entry in Capcom\'s survival horror franchise, currently in development using the proprietary RE Engine. While Capcom has not officially announced the game, multiple industry leaks, trademark filings, and insider reports confirm Resident Evil 9 is in active production for a 2027 release.

The game is expected to continue the narrative thread from Resident Evil Village (2021), potentially following Rosemary Winters (Ethan\'s daughter) as the protagonist. The working title "Requiem" appeared in Capcom\'s internal roadmap leaked in the 2022 ransomware attack, alongside confirmed projects like RE4 Remake and Dragon\'s Dogma 2.

Resident Evil 9 is being developed by Capcom\'s Division 1 studio (the same team behind RE7, RE2 Remake, and Village) with a reported budget exceeding $100 million, making it one of Capcom\'s most expensive projects to date.

Based on leaks and Resident Evil Village\'s post-credits scene, Resident Evil 9 is expected to star Rosemary "Rose" Winters, the teenage daughter of Ethan Winters (protagonist of RE7 and Village). Rose possesses supernatural abilities inherited from her exposure to the Megamycete fungal network, allowing her to manipulate mold and perceive bioweapons\' weaknesses.

The story is rumored to explore Rose\'s recruitment into a government anti-bioterrorism agency (potentially BSAA or a new organization) and her investigation of a global outbreak linked to remnants of Umbrella Corporation\'s research. Leaks suggest the game will feature multiple playable characters, including returning series veterans like Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine.

The subtitle "Requiem" implies a narrative focused on finality, mourning, or endings, possibly concluding the Winters family arc that began in RE7.

Core Mechanics

Resident Evil 9 is expected to return to the first-person perspective introduced in RE7 and continued in Village, though unconfirmed reports suggest optional third-person camera support. The game will emphasize survival horror fundamentals: limited resources, environmental puzzles, and vulnerable combat where fleeing is often smarter than fighting.

Setting

Industry sources suggest RE9 is set in a Southeast Asian island nation, featuring dense jungles, underground research facilities, and coastal villages. The setting marks a departure from the European castles and Louisiana bayous of recent entries, potentially drawing inspiration from Resident Evil 5\'s African villages.

New Enemy Types

Leaks indicate a new bioweapon category called "Echoes", infected humans who retain partial consciousness and exhibit coordinated behavior, creating psychological horror scenarios where players must determine if NPCs are friend or foe.

Capcom has not announced Resident Evil 9\'s release date. Based on Capcom\'s typical development cycles (3-4 years between mainline RE entries) and the leaked 2022 roadmap, a 2027 launch window is most likely, potentially targeting Q2 or Q4.

The game will launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam). There will be no PS4 or Xbox One version, as RE9 is being built exclusively for current-gen hardware to leverage the RE Engine\'s photogrammetry, ray-tracing, and fast SSD streaming.

Resident Evil 9 is directed by Koshi Nakanishi, who previously directed Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017). The team includes producer Jun Takeuchi and writer Richard Pearsey (Village\'s narrative director).

The game entered full production in 2024 after the completion of RE4 Remake DLC. Capcom allocated a team of 250+ developers and a budget exceeding $100M, comparable to Village\'s development scale.

Resident Evil Village sold 10 million units within 18 months of launch, making it one of Capcom\'s best-selling games ever. Capcom expects RE9 to match or exceed this performance, targeting 12M units in its first two years.

The RE franchise has enjoyed a commercial and critical renaissance since 2017, with every mainline and remake entry scoring 85+ on Metacritic. RE9 is positioned as a flagship next-gen horror experience, potentially competing with Silent Hill 2 Remake and Alan Wake 3 in 2027.