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Resident Evil Requiem put the power of nostalgia on full display with the return of longtime hero Leon Kennedy and with Raccoon City as a delightfully dilapidated playground, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a Resident Evil fan that hasn't fantasized about a future entry based in Japan, where developer Capcom is based. According to Resident Evil Requiem producer Masato Kumazawa, everyone at Capcom has considered the possibility too, and nothing's off the table at this point.
"I think a Japanese setting is something every Japanese Resident Evil fan has though about, and I've also considered it myself," says Kumazawa in an interview with Japanese publication Futaman (translated by Automaton).
"Since the development team is primarily based in Japan, I think every member has given it some thought. While Japan hasn't appeared as a game setting so far, it might make an appearance at some point in the future."
A Resident Evil set in Japan is a no-brainer, and you only need to look at the success of Konami's Silent Hill f for proof. If anything, Silent Hill is even more synonymous with its titular Maine resort town than Resident Evil and Raccoon City, even if the excellent Resident Evil Requiem triumphantly returned the series to its geographical roots.
If Silent Hill f can completely abandon the series' namesake, introduce a whole new cast of characters, fly off to the opposite end of the world, and still be a massive hit with fans new and old, surely Capcom can do the same with Resident Evil.
If that were to happen, however, Kumazawa says the series' identity would remain the same, which is something I struggled with playing Silent Hill f.
"We won't compromise the core elements of the series, such as the characters and the events that unfold, and we'll continue to preserve what the series holds dear," assures Kumazawa. He adds, "However, if we keep releasing the same kind of game over and over, players will eventually get bored, so we'd like to keep taking on new challenges moving forward."
I love almost everything about Silent Hill f, the combat being the key exception, but it doesn't really look, sound, or play like a Silent Hill game. That hasn't stopped me from thoroughly enjoying multiple playthroughs, but it created a void that Silent Hill Townfall is unlikely to fill. If Resident Evil does go to Japan, I hope it doesn't lose its Resident Evilness.
