"Resident Evil 9: Requiem" producer Kumasawa Masato said that the original concept of "Resident Evil 9" was an open world online multiplayer game.Some online multiplayer elements previously developed will remain in the current version.He also talked about his awareness of the more action-oriented styles of "Resident Evil 4" and "Resident Evil 8: Village", and this game will take "horror" as its absolute core to ensure that "the sense of horror is maintained from beginning to end."

The current version retains some elements of the online multiplayer version

The multiplayer version, previously confirmed by director Kento Nakanishi during a presentation, was originally conceived as an open-world online multiplayer game.Xiong Ze further added this time that when asked about the current status of the multiplayer version, he said: "Some elements of that design still exist in the final version." However, he refused to disclose which elements were retained and in what way, saying that he "cannot talk about specific details."

"It's fun, but not very scary" - Switching from the online version to the stand-alone version

Regarding the online multiplayer mode, Kumasawa commented that "the horror elements are very slight."However, he also commented that the game itself is "fun to play" and is a complete game.

However, after thinking about whether fans of the series would embrace the game, he said, "When I thought about whether fans of the series would actually enjoy this game, I realized they probably wouldn't like it too much." As a result, he explained, he decided not to feature an online multiplayer mode and instead remake it as a single-player game.

On the other hand, Xiong Ze also said: "Because that version was very interesting, we took some elements from it to make the final game interesting." He also said that some feedback obtained from the online version is being applied to the current "Requiem".

Admits that "4" and "The Village" are more action-oriented, and explains why this film returns to the main theme of horror

The interview also touched on recent entries in the series.When asked whether the series focuses too much on action elements, such as the ending of "Resident Evil 8: Village", Kumasawa responded: "We must admit that "Resident Evil 4" and "Resident Evil 8: Village" do have too many action elements."

He later explained that based on feedback from previous works, he learned that "fans prefer horror elements" and revealed that Resident Evil 9: Requiem will feature horror as its main feature.Xiong Ze said that "Resident Evil 9" was developed earlier than "Resident Evil 8: Village", but "we want to focus on the horror element in this game and use it as the main selling point."

The goal is to "remain scary until the end" - the design of rhythm and structure

When talking about the late-game structure, Xiong Ze once again admitted that the final stages of "Resident Evil 7" and "Resident Evil 8" are "very action-oriented."And "Requiem" will strive to "remain in a state of terror until the end."

However, he also clarified that it is not the goal to be "scary from beginning to end", but to intersperse some action and other "non-horror clips" between the horror scenes to allow the player's attention to temporarily leave the horror, and then create a stronger contrast in the subsequent horror scenes.

Therefore, in order to achieve this goal, the team is repeatedly deliberating "how to arrange the sequence of scenes" and "how to optimize the sequence of events to make players feel scared throughout the entire game."

About 6 years of development process, and the attitude of "knowing how to read SNS comments"

When asked about the development time, Xiong Ze said that if the development period of the online multiplayer version is also included, "Looking back, it has probably been developed for about 6 years."

As for how to treat fan opinions, he said: "I don't know if all development teams are like this, but I will try my best to read all comments on social media." and encouraged players to actively leave messages.He half-jokingly said that his "psychology is very strong, don't worry," showing his attitude of actively absorbing player feedback.

"Resident Evil 9: Requiem" is expected to be released on February 27, 2026, and the corresponding platforms are PC, PS5, Switch2, and Xbox Series X|S.