Summary
Capcom’sResident Evilfranchise enjoyed a remarkable streak from 1998 to 2007, and it’s one that the survival-horror series is unlikely to ever replicate. Capcom’sResident Evilfranchise hit the scene in 1996 and changed the gaming landscape forever. Popularizing many elements of the survival-horror genre and inspiring countless games to come, the originalResident Evilis a genuine classic.
In 1998, Capcom followed the originalResident Evilwith a direct sequelset in Raccoon City.Resident Evil 2was an even bigger hit than the original game, and helped kick off an incredible streak for the franchise.Resident Evil 2was followed by main series games likeResident Evil 3,Code: Veronica,Resident Evil Zero, andResident Evil 4, as well as a slew of spin-off games likeResident Evil Survivorand theResident Evil: Outbreakduology. The first-everResident Evilremake was also released in the same timeframe, with theResident Evil 1remake landing on the GameCube in 2002.
From 1998 to 2007, a significant newResident Evilgame hit the market every single year. The last game in that streak was the Nintendo Wii’sResident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, an on-rails shooter that retold the stories of some of the previous games and introduced its own lore developments. AnewResident Evilstreakstarted with 2019’sResident Evil 2remake, but unless Capcom has a surpriseREthat it’s dropping before the end of the year, that streak has come to an end.
Resident Evil Game Release Timeline
Now that the latest streak ofResident Evilgame releases has come to an end, it’s clear that it’s incredibly unlikely that Capcom will ever replicate what it accomplished from 1998 to 2007, where franchise fans had something new to play each and every single year. That doesn’t meanResident Evilgame releases won’t be plentiful in the years ahead. But with Capcom having already remade multiple main series entries and running out of options, one has to imagine that things are going to slow down at least somewhat. Not only that, butvideo game development is increasingly more expensiveand takes longer than ever before.
As far as newResident Evilgames go, leaks and rumors have suggested that there are at least threeREprojects in the pipeline at the time of this writing. Assuming the rumors are accurate,Resident Evil 9is the next game on deck, potentially launching at some point in 2025. Capcom is also believed to have remakes ofResident Evil ZeroandResident Evil - Code: Veronicain the works as well. Some rumors have gone as far as to say that the originalResident Evilis getting a second remake to bring it in-line with the style of the other remakes, but that has been shot down by more credible insiders.
No matter what,Resident Evilfans can rest assured that the franchise will have a steady stream of new content, even if there’s not a brand-new main series game to look forward to each and every year. Besides video games, anewResident Evilmovieis also expected to be on the way, so there should be plenty to look forward to in the years ahead.
Resident Evil
Resident Evil is a long-running survival horror franchise developed by Capcom. Spread across numerous mainline and spin-off entries, the series is known for it’s third and first-person action horror, zombie-related monsters and references, and challenging puzzles.
