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Capcom has confirmed that the upcoming Shadows of Rose DLC will "conclude the Winters family saga," and that's already set series fans speculating about what that means for Resident Evil 9.
Director Kento Kinoshita tells IGN Japan that the studio is "creating the Shadows of Rose story to conclude the Winters family saga." Producer Masachika Kawata jokes that Capcom is "absolutely not" sharing any of its plans for future Resident Evil games at this time.
If you hadn't already guessed it, here's your warning that spoilers for Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil Village will follow.
The Winters family was introduced in Resident Evil 7, where you play as Ethan Winters, out to save his wife Mia from the clutches of the Baker family. Resident Evil Village picks up a few years later, where the mysterious Mother Miranda has kidnapped the couple's daughter, Rose. Ethan dies at the end of Village, asking Resident Evil series mainstay Chris Redfield to look after Rose.
It's revealed over the course of those two games that both Ethan and Mia had become mutants by the time of Rose's conception, and Rose herself is a superhuman made up of the mysterious Mold fungus. Resident Evil Village ends with a post-credits scene featuring Rose as a teenager, and the upcoming Shadows of Rose DLC features her battling within the consciousness of the Mold.
Leaks had suggested that Village was the middle chapter of a trilogy which would conclude in Resident Evil 9, but these comments from Capcom suggest that anything is possible for the next entry in the series. Could we see a new story featuring Rose, ditching the baggage of the "Winters family saga" to explore something new? What about a return to the old series cast? Or could it be an entirely new cast and story?
The community's assumptions about what this means are all over the place, but they're broadly very positive. "This is great news," says Redditor HarveyBirdLaww. "Ethan was awesome for 7 and 8, but let’s get back to Jill finally."
"Thank Christ!!! I want my core characters back, front and center. Claire, Jill, Leon, I am looking at you!" adds *checks notes* D62500d.
"Personally, I wouldn't jump in excitement just yet (not that I would in the first place since I love Ethan and his story)," johnnyscardigan says. "This is definitely not a confirmation that the OG 4 will be front and center once again. There is also the possibility that RE9 could introduce a brand new protagonist instead."
"Honestly, I'm glad, as much as I did love RE7 and RE8 and the story of Ethan," Worm_Scavenger says. "I really was worried they would use him or Rose again in 9 when I want to see more new characters."
Maybe the sentiment is best summed up by Adrien_Jabroni, who says: "This has me simultaneously more excited for both the Rose DLC and RE9."
The upcoming content for Resident Evil Village will also let you play as Ethan in third-person and includes a host of accessibility improvements.
