Resident Evil Villageis almost upon us, now that Capcom’s next installment in the long-running survival horror franchise is set to release in just a few weeks. Although players have yet to see howResident Evil Villagewill continuethe story of Ethan Wintersand Chris Redfield, it appears that Capcom already has plans for the franchise’s future.
Several weeks ago, Capcom revealed thatResident Evil Villageis part of a trilogy that began withResident Evil 7, and will end withResident Evil 9. However, it appears now thatResident Evil Villageis already having an impact on the next game, especially with the way Capcom labels itsResident Evilmainline games.
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How Capcom Labels Resident Evil Mainline Games
From 1996 up until 2017’sResident Evil 7, every mainline entry in the series is labeled with a number that corresponds to their place in the franchise’s timeline. The only exceptions to this rule are the firstResident Evil, which is obviously only calledResident Evil, andResident Evil: Code Veronica, which took place afterResident Evil 3.
Sources are divided as to the official status ofResident Evil: Revelations 1and2. However, while the plot of those games is considered canon, many tend to categorize both as part of a separateRevelationssubseries. For 25 years,Resident Evilfans got used to this straightforward system. Players would immediately know that every numberedResident Evilgame belongs to the main series apart from a few exceptions.
How Resident Evil Village Will Impact Resident Evil 9 and Beyond
Now, it appears that starting withResident Evil Village, Capcom will be veering away from numbering its mainline entries to the franchise. When Capcom first unveiledVillage, it is worth remembering that it was just calledResident Evil 8: Villagebeforethe company streamlined the title toResident Evil Village. Interestingly enough, Capcom highlighted the first four letters of the word village to signify its roman numeral counterpart that translates to eight. The same approach was used inResident Evil 7, where the last three letters of the word evil translate to the roman numeral counterpart of seven.
So what does this mean forResident Evil 9? According to a notableResident Evilleaker known as AestheticGamer, Capcom plans to dump the numbering system of its mainlineResident Evilgames. AestheticGamer believes the reason for this is Capcom wants to eliminate the expectations thateveryResident Evilgame should build off from the story of a previous game.
Additionally, the line between the mainline games and the spin-off titles “is going to get murkier,” especially since it is believed thatResident Evilwill now become an annual franchise. All things considered, it appears thatResident Evil 7will be the only numbered title in the new trilogy focused on the story of Ethan Winters and Chris Redfield. Similar toResident Evil Village, the next mainlineResident Evilgame will most probably not be calledResident Evil 9.
It is still too early to tell what the next game will be called altogether, but if Capcom takes the same Roman numeral approach, the subtitle ofResident Evil 9will likely contain the letters IX. Whatever the name of the future game may be if what the reports claim turns out to be true, fans should now expect that futureResident Evilgames won’t be numbered, which could mean that Capcom may lessen or no longer produce spin-off titlesto focus on annual mainline entries.
Resident Evil Villageis releasing on June 29, 2025, for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
