A new report has revealed that the Resident Evil 4 remake project - which remains unannounced by Capcom - has undergone some major internal changes, with new studio M-Two seeing its responsibilities reduced while Capcom Division 1 has become the team leading the project. The Resident Evil 4 remake is one of gaming's worst-kept secrets, with its production first being reported last year. The project was then reported as being led by M-Two, a studio founded by Tatsuya Minami, formerly of PlatinumGames.
2020 was a big year for video game remakes, and even prior to it, Capcom had already found success itself with Resident Evil 2 in 2019. Following the critical and financial success of that project, Capcom released a similarly well-received Resident Evil 3 remake in 2020, though that title was criticized for cutting down the game's story and atmosphere too much, resulting in a shorter experience that was less memorable than Resident Evil 2. Capcom is currently in the midst of the final months of build-up towards Resident Evil 8, which recently received a showcase and released an RE8 demo that broke the PS5 store temporarily due to its popularity. To say that the Resident Evil brand is thriving in recent years, then, would be a gross misrepresentation of what's been the unexpected reinvigoration of a beloved horror franchise.
Because of that popularity, fans have been eager to learn more about the Resident Evil 4 remake - but the newest info to emerge from the project is less than encouraging. According to an in-depth report from VGC that the outlet corroborated from multiple sources, the Resident Evil 4 remake project is seeing a shift that will reduce M-Two's role, moving over the role of lead team to Capcom Division 1. Capcom Division 1 is the team behind Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, and Dead Rising, and is comprised of many Resident Evil veterans. According to the report, a disagreement over design philosophy saw the change made, as M-Two wanted to stick more closely to the original game's template while Capcom wants the Resident Evil 4 remake to feature more innovation that is inspired by RE4's mechanics and story.
The report also makes it clear that the sources said this kind of development shift isn't unheard of at Capcom, with both Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 seeing similar changes play out and coming through development fine. That's good news for fans hoping for the best from the Resident Evil 4 remake, though the change also likely means the game is now further away than it was a few months ago.
Without an official announcement for the Resident Evil 4 remake, it's difficult to ascertain just how big changes like these really are for the game. It's unclear where it is in development, and even if this change will dramatically impact that process either way, given the fact M-Two is still involved. Without any footage from the game, fans will have to wait and see what happens, but for now, that shouldn't be hard - Resident Evil 8 looks extremely promising, and that game releases in just a few months on May 7, 2021.
Source: VGC