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Capcom’s Almost Ready to Talk About ‘Resident Evil 7’
Capcom has become exceedingly good at defying my expectations. For better or worse, they’ve turned being a fan of a series, like Resident Evil, into and exciting and often unpredictable thing. Umbrella Corps is a fantastic example of this, because it’s absolutely the last thing I would’ve expected to see after the steps they’ve made to bring the franchise back to its roots in horror.
I don’t even mean that in a bad way. It’s just unusual.
In celebration of its 600th issue, the fine folks at Dengeki PlayStation sat down with a handful of Japanese game developers to chat about all things video games. I don’t know what they asked the other devs, but when it was Capcom’s turn, the questions they had queued up for Resident Evil producer Masachika Kawata could not have been more perfect.
The gradual shift away from horror has been a point of contention for some time now, and Capcom is, for the most part, aware of it. More than that, Kawata’s response gives the impression that they’re working on remedying it.
“Since there’s been more spinoff titles, I can see how it can be perceived in such a way,” explains Kawata. “And of course I believe that we should produce titles that bring out the horror. I’m thinking about it and also preparing for it.” It’s clearly more than a “perceived” change, as anyone who’s played the last three games in the main series can attest, and it’s not at all exclusive to the mixed bag of spin-offs we’ve seen over the years.
If Kawata says he’s bringing out the horror, I’m going to choose to believe him.
My favorite thing about Dengeki’s Q&A session with Capcom doesn’t have anything to do with the long-awaited reveal of Resident Evil 7 — Kawata wants us to “stay tuned”, as they’re not quite ready to talk about it — but whether or not there are currently any plans to remaster the short-lived Outbreak spin-off series.
“The hurdle is high, but we’d like to respond to as much demand as possible,” says Kawata. A few months ago I would’ve seen that as a non-answer, but they’re obviously listening to the community now. If they weren’t, we would not be getting a Resident Evil 2 remake. I wouldn’t mind seeing the Outbreak games return, even if it’s not in the form of a full-fledged sequel. What about you?
All of us here at Bloody Disgusting are deeply sad to learn that The Blob director Chuck Russell has passed away at 74 years old.
Russell’s career began with his directorial debut, 1987’s A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors.
The multihyphenate film director, screenwriter, and producer is best known for helming 1994 comedy The Mask starring Jim Carrey, Arnold Schwarzenegger actioner Eraser, and adventure spinoff The Scorpion King. The latter served as the first leading role for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
The filmmaker left an indelible mark on horror with his ANOES sequel, 1988’s The Blob, and 2000’s Bless the Child.
Russell’s final film credit is 2024’s Witchboard remake starring Madison Iseman (I Know What You Did Last Summer), Aaron Dominguez (Only Murders in the Building), and Jamie Campbell Bower (“Stranger Things”).
It marked Russell’s return to horror after a lengthy hiatus, and he shared sequel hopes to Bloody Disgusting in an interview ahead of the remake’s release: “I got to design the board with real mystical symbols and things that I know represent good and evil, and where that board takes us if the audiences respond to the film, and I hope they will; I know it’s out there for you guys, but the sequel is a world we’ll get to go a little further. That’s sure the intention.”
He also recently expressed interest in returning to the franchise that began his career.
TMZ notes that Russell passed away at his San Diego-area home.
We send our deepest condolences to Chuck Russell’s family, friends, and fans.
Director, Co-Writer & Producer Chuck Russell behind the scenes of the horror film, WITCHBOARD. Photo courtesy of The Avenue and Atlas Distribution
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