Capcom producer Masachika Kawata says rebooting the long-running series
is possible, but not until "a lot of decisions" are made.
A Resident Evil reboot is possible, according to Capcom producer Masachika Kawata. Speaking to Eurogamer, the designer was asked if Capcom would consider changing up the series formula--perhaps making it open-world--after the polarizing reception of Resident Evil 6, to which the idea of a reboot was mentioned.
"If we did [go with an open-world], we would want to preserve what
Resident Evil is and what makes it appealing to fans, while also making
it accessible to new players. It would almost entail having a slight
reboot to get the series into a place where it would work with
open-world gameplay," he said. "That's just a personal opinion."
"A lot of decisions would have to be taken before something like that is
done to the series, but it is something that…" he added. "There is a
possibility."
Kawata is currently working on the recently announced Resident Evil: Revelations port for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii U,
due out in May. He said the reception to this game will impact the
direction Capcom heads in the future with regard to Resident Evil.
"Once we see Revelations released on consoles, we'll be looking very
carefully at how the title is received and what feedback we get," he
said. "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."
One possibility for the future of Resident Evil, Kawata said, is for
Capcom to place greater focus on the horror component, making "something
scarier than we have already."
Capcom has previously said a Resident Evil 2 remake is possible with enough fan support.
