'Resident Evil 4' Remake Reportedly In Development With Original Director's Blessing
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Featured Image Credit: Capcom
Resident Evil 4 is widely considered to be one of the finest video games of all time. That's certainly reflected in the fact that Capcom has ported the survival horror to nearly every available platform since its original 2005 release on Nintendo GameCube. But in a shocking turn of events, it seems that Capcom is done porting Resident Evil 4... and is now turning its attention to remaking it from the ground up.
Multiple sources have told VGC that a Resident Evil 4 remake has entered full production and is expected to release in 2022, presumably for PS5 and Xbox Series X. Development of the project is being handled by Osaka-based studio M-Two, and the team there has apparently been preparing for the remake since 2018.
However, while M-Two are expected to take the lead on this one, VGC notes that Capcom's internal teams will more than likely be lending a hand as development progresses. This was the case for the recently released Resident Evil 3 remake, which was led by Red Works with assistance from various internal and external studios.
Shinji Mikami, who directed the original Resident Evil 4, apparently declined an offer to head up the remake himself. Understandable, given he pretty much knocked it out of the park with his first attempt. Still, it's understood that the remake has the blessing of Mikami, and that he's even provided some (informal) advice on the direction of the game.
It's fair to say that there's been some wariness around the idea of a Resident Evil 4 remake. The 2005 release is Capcom's highest-rated game of all time according to Metacritic, and has shifted an amazing 7.5 million copies across various platforms over the years. It's rightly regarded as an all-time classic... which means aside from a fresh coat of paint and some quality-of-life tweaks, what can Capcom really do with this one?
The Resident Evil 2 and (to a lesser extent) Resident Evil 3 remakes worked because they completely overhauled and re-imagined two great games that had quite clearly aged very badly. Dated controls and fixed camera angles were stripped away to make both games play more like... well, like Resident Evil 4.
Still, just because I can't imagine where Capcom could go with a Resident Evil 4 remake doesn't mean it couldn't come up with something amazing. I don't have a very vivid imagination, after all. If nothing else, I would hope that the company doesn't want to de-rail this hot streak of excellent releases it's been on.
Let's be honest though; a Resident Evil 4 remake is going to make bank regardless of quality... isn't it?
Topics: Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil 2, Capcom
