Resident Evil 9 began as a 'multiplayer game' as insider reveals scrapped sequel
An insider has shared details about early plans for Resident Evil 9, amid claims of a canned follow-up to Resident Evil: Revelations 2.
While Capcom has confirmed Resident Evil 9 is in development, we still know nothing about the sequel – with an official reveal expected at some point this year.
The only details we have about the follow-up to Resident Evil Village is from rumours, which claim it will mark a 'big reinvention' for the series, be open world, and use the same tech as Dragon's Dogma 2.
The source of these rumours, AestheticGamer aka Dusk Golem, has now made several claims about the sequel on X, including how it apparently began as a multiplayer title.
According to the insider, Resident Evil 9 began development in 2017 as a 'big open world multiplayer game', a decision which was apparently made in response to Resident Evil 7's low sales at launch (it later went onto find success with over 14 million copies sold).
It's unclear whether this refers to cooperative or competitive multiplayer, but the leaker claims this original version featured Leon Kennedy and Jill Valentine as the game's protagonists, and was set on a fictional island based off of Singapore.
It's claimed Resident Evil 9 underwent a 'pretty heavy reboot' in 2021, around the launch of Resident Evil Village, but 'a few things stayed the same'. According to the insider, one thing which remained was Leon Kennedy as the main character, but Jill was apparently dropped.
(3/6) expectations. RE7 went on to have a huge tail in sales, but this was a bit reactionary. And the original version of RE9 was trying to be the opposite of RE7, IE big open world multiplayer game). RE9 originally starred Leon & Jill in a fictional island based off Singapore. — AestheticGamer aka Dusk Golem (@AestheticGamer1) May 22, 2025
While it isn't stated explicitly, it's implied the multiplayer aspect was dropped as well – considering that aspect has never been mentioned before. Past mainline games have leaned on cooperative multiplayer, specifically Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6, but these are widely considered to be among the worst of the numbered entries.
In other posts, Dusk Golem claims Resident Evil 9 is 'designed as a third-person game', so it won't have the first-person perspective of Resident Evil Village. They also claim it will launch in 2026, although Capcom's recent financial reports suggest it will be sometime after March.
Beyond Resident Evil 9, the insider claims a sequel to 2015's Resident Evil: Revelations 2 was also in development at some point, but it was cancelled by Capcom in 2022 to prioritise 'manpower and budget' on Resident Evil 4 remake and Resident Evil 9. More Trending
Resident Evil: Revelations 2 was an episodic sequel to the 2012 spin-off, which originally released on the Nintendo 3DS. As of March 31 this year, the sequel has sold 3.7 million units, so it's on the lower end of Resident Evil sales overall.
Capcom hasn't announced anything about Resident Evil 9, so it's worth taking these rumours with a pinch of salt, but it has dropped hints that news could arrive soon, with all eyes on Summer Game Fest on Friday, June 6, 2025.
Aside from the next mainline instalment, Capcom is said to be working on several Resident Evil remakes too, with the next one expected to be Resident Evil Zero.
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