Fans are getting even more hints that a remake of Resident Evil 4 could be on the way thanks to a recent content leak of 3D model assets. Such a current-gen remaster was one of many projects potentially unveiled by a recent hack into Capcom's plans for the next four years, which involve several high-profile sequels and spin-offs to some of its most beloved franchises.
However, well before Capcom's massive leak, it's been hinted that Resident Evil 4 would be returning with a new coat of paint sometime in the near future, building off the momentum of its predecessors Resident Evil 2 and 3, the latter of which came to PS4 and Xbox One and was met with considerable success earlier this year. Spurred on by these discussions, fans have already begun to speculate about what changes could be made to the original’s highly influential gameplay, as well as how a new version of Resident Evil 4 would benefit from the new features being introduced this generation, such as dramatically sped-up load times on Xbox Series X and PS5.
According to GadgetGang, screenshots of about 80 3D models believed to be part of the presumably upcoming Resident Evil 4 remake's development were leaked onto the "dark web" before eventually making their way onto Imgur earlier this week. These still-in-progress renderings consist of mundane prop items like food, candles, and fine dining ware, featuring shots from various angles and even reference images of what the assets are modeled after. So far, there doesn’t seem to be any character assets or anything that would be considered a spoiler, despite the fact that a hypothetical Resident Evil 4 remake may stray pretty far from the plot of the original, anyway.
[Update for December 1, 2020: Images removed at the request of Capcom.]
Originally released on the underrated Nintendo GameCube in 2005, Resident Evil 4 would eventually be ported to a wide range of consoles over the years. The game put players in the role of US special agent and franchise mainstay Leon S. Kennedy, who's tasked with rescuing the US President’s daughter from a zombie-infested European village, and it was hailed as a paradigm-shifting breath of fresh air for the long-running Resident Evil franchise. Much of this praise went toward its revamped control scheme, which would serve as an influence for future survival horror games like Dead Rising and popularize the third-person, over-the-shoulder camera used in titles like Mass Effect, Dead Space, and Gears of War.
Of course, this recent leak of Resident Evil 4 remake assets hasn’t been properly verified yet, so fans shouldn’t take these image's authenticity as a forgone conclusion. Still, the idea of getting to play one of the most iconic zombie-survival games on current-gen hardware remains an exciting prospect all the same, and these images provide an interesting look into the process of developing 3D models for huge AAA titles like Resident Evil 4.
Sources: GadgetGang, Imgur