Resident Evil has been a flagship horror game for years, known for its unsettling atmosphere and jumpscares. Developers admit uncertainty about what elements are still scary.
This insight comes from an interview with director Koshi Nakanishi and producer Masato Kumazama at Tokyo Game Show 2025. They discussed the new protagonist, Grace, and how Resident Evil: Requiem is shifting away from heavy action elements.
Nakanishi explained that Resident Evil titles can be classified on a scale between Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4. Resident Evil 7 leaned towards survival horror, while Resident Evil Village introduced more action. He expressed concern about inflating action elements in future titles.
“If we kept going in that direction… you ultimately end up where Resident Evil 5 and 6 went… pushed Resident Evil so far in the action direction that it was no longer horror.”
— Koshi Nakanishi, Director
Nakanishi also noted the challenge of innovating horror, stating that after so many titles, they need audience reactions to gauge what is scary. He mentioned internal concerns before showcasing Resident Evil: Requiem at events.
“We’ve made so many of these that we can’t tell anymore until someone else plays it.”
— Koshi Nakanishi, Director
When asked about content cut for being too scary, Nakanishi recalled an idea involving Grace’s leg being injured. However, they ultimately decided against it.
“What if [Grace] gets a big gash in her leg, or her leg gets cut off… but we talked ourselves down a little bit.”
— Koshi Nakanishi, Director
Resident Evil: Requiem was previewed last month, with impressions available. Further discussions with Nakanishi and Kumazawa covered topics like the Nintendo Switch 2 and Leon Kennedy.
