After the series explored new, undead ground in the last two main games, Resident Evil: Requiem is going back to narrative threads from the franchise’s past.
In a recent PlayStation Blog interview, producer Masato Kumazawa talked about Requiem’s timing as a game for the series’ 30th anniversary. Where Ethan Winters’ two games “explored [the series’] broader world, Capcom wanted to “return to a story that continues the overarching narrative rooted in Raccoon City and the secret machinations of the Umbrella Corporation.” Discounting the remakes of older games, both have been absent from the series for quite some time—the city was overrun with infected back in Resident Evil 2 and 3 and subsequently bombed, which led to Umbrella going bankrupt after it was found liable for the city’s destruction.
Resident Evil: Requiem is returns to the city nearly 30 years later and centers on Grace Ashcroft, daughter of Raccoon City survivor (and Resident Evil: Outbreak protagonist) Alyssa. Kumazawa said the team wanted a protagonist with personal ties to the city, which led them to the Ashcrofts. Alyssa has been dead for years, but Grace is still affected by the loss, and Kumazawa teased the game’s subtitle would be fitting in more ways than one.
“[It’s] a requiem for Grace, and a requiem for all of the people who were caught up in the Raccoon City incident, to name but just a few examples,” he said. “But once you complete the game, I believe you’ll find even more levels of meaning for the subtitle.”
Another reason Grace is getting the spotlight? Requiem is more horror-focused, and Capcom wanted someone who was relatable and a scaredy cat. In a video featuring the game’s creative leads, director Koshi Nakanishi admitted they considered making RE2 protagonist Leon the lead of this game, but pivoted because he’s “quite a bad match for horror. He wouldn’t jump at something like a bucket falling. No one wants to see Leon scared by every little thing.”
That hasn’t stopped fans from speculating that Capcom’s bluffing and he’ll be in Resident Evil: Requiem in some capacity, given the trip back to Raccoon City. We’ll find out when (or maybe even before) the game releases February 27, 2026 for PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series X|S.
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