During the Capcom NEXT broadcast today, the developer announced that a new Resident Evil game is in development. Closing out the showcase, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard director Koshi Nakanishi confirmed the long-running rumors. Although he didn't refer to the new game as Resident Evil 9, he did confirm the development of the game.
"We're making a new Resident Evil," Nakanishi announced. "It was really difficult to figure out what to do after [Resident Evil] 7. But I found it, and to be honest, it feels substantial. I can't share any details just yet, but I hope you're excited for the day I can."
There have been numerous rumors about Resident Evil 9 in recent months, including a report in May that claimed the game would launch in January 2025. Nothing in Nakanishi's little teaser announcement indicated how far along development on the new game is.
It's reported that pre-production on Resident Evil 9 began back in early 2018. Previously described as the "most ambitious" game in the franchise, Resident Evil 9 is rumored to embrace more of an open-world environment thanks to Capcom successfully leveraging the RE Engine to create an open-world experience in Dragon's Dogma 2.
Nakanishi has an extensive history with the Resident Evil franchise having served as designer and creative director for Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, respectively. In 2012, he made the jump to director of Resident Evil: Revelations for the Nintendo 3DS, and in 2017 he helped restore new life in the franchise as director of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard.
Resident Evil 9 will be the first mainline release in the franchise since 2021's Resident Evil Village, which was a sequel to 2017's Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. But much of today's focus was on the release of Resident Evil 7 on Apple devices — specifically the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and every iPad and Mac with the M1 chip or later.
Launching on July 2, 2024, players can download a free demo of the game and try a portion of Ethan Winters' harrowing investigation into his wife's disappearance. The full campaign can be unlocked for $19.99. Upgrading to the Gold Edition for an additional $19.99 will unlock a variety of optional DLC, including extra story content and game modes.
Powered by RE ENGINE, Resident Evil 7 biohazard runs natively on Apple devices and supports Universal Purchase and cross-progression which means you can play your save across all supported Apple devices. The release also includes optimized controls for iPhone and iPad, including an Auto Fire option and fully touch-compatible menus.