While a significant leak from Capcom late last year hinted towards several of the company's upcoming projects, the publisher's still remained quiet until recently. Things like Resident Evil 4 Remake, Street Fighter 6, the sixth Monster Hunter, Dragon's Dogma 2, as well as more nebulous projects like "Resident Evil Outrage," were all part of the massive data breach. Some leaked titles and release dates have come to fruition, with Monster Hunter Rise coming to PC and Rose being leaked for Street Fighter 5 ahead of time. However, none of the bigger projects that were leaked have received any official news, but that could change with a new countdown from Capcom.
Initially, fans were quick to assume this ambiguous timer was counting down towards the rumored Resident Evil 4 Remake, but it's clear now that's not the case. Capcom teased a Resident Evil announcement for earlier this week, but that turned out to be an updated museum website to celebrate the franchise in general. Something like a Resident Evil 4 remake (or a new mainline entry tease) presumably would have had more pomp and circumstance. However, especially given the timing of this reveal, it's pretty clear that this countdown is pointing towards a Street Fighter announcement coming this week. There's plenty of evidence to back this up as well.
Capcom's Countdown Is Likely For Street Fighter, Definitely Not Resident Evil
Firstly, fans are generally beginning to understand that this upcoming countdown isn't anything Resident Evil related. The countdown was vague enough to give off that initial impression, but Capcom likely wouldn't surprise-drop a countdown alongside an updated franchise website at the same time. The Resident Evil museum is just an extension of the existing Resident Evil Portal on Capcom's website, with the site itself showcasing details and artwork from past games. Especially since the URLs are separate, as well as the Resident Evil museum site's next update slated for 2/22 (a day after the Capcom countdown), these are likely two very different announcements.
If anything substantial were to be announced from the Resident Evil franchise this year, it'd likely happen closer to E3 season, rather than what would otherwise be a random week in February. However, this announcement countdown does align with another one of Capcom's biggest franchises: Street Fighter. Capcom has hosted the "Capcom Pro Tour" annually, which is a publisher-supported tournament series where all the best Street Fighter players compete for an over $200,000 prize pool. Coincidentally, or not-so-coincidentally, Capcom's mysterious countdown on its website coincides with the timing of grand finals for the CPT championship match.
Fighting Game Fans May Get A Street Fighter 6 Reveal Soon
The Capcom Pro Tour circuit for 2021 was likely considered to be the last tournament series for Street Fighter 5's life cycle. Especially considering the SF5 development team was very candid about stating the game's final DLC character Luke would be the last, but was also keen to point him out as a potential tease for Street Fighter's "future." Many took that as a sign that Luke would show up in a future Street Fighter entry, and for a new Street Fighter announcement to coincide with Capcom Pro Tour (as many DLC reveals have done previously) would make a lot of sense. All signs point to this Capcom countdown referring to a potential tease/trailer for Street Fighter 6.
Toss in the fact that the Capcom CAP-JAMS band retweeted the initial announcement made by Capcom, and it's pretty clear that the countdown is leading up to Street Fighter 6. Alongside the Capcom leak previously, several other leakers and reports have been able to independently confirm that Street Fighter 6 was in development in the last few years, so that would make sense. Dusk Golem, a notable Capcom and Resident Evil leaker, also confirmed that Street Fighter 6 was initially pushing for a 2021 release, but was delayed due to poor testing and feedback allegedly changing the direction of the game in development.
Street Fighter 5 had a bit of a rough launch, but has notoriously impressed new and veteran fans over time with continuous support and updates to the game. Capcom likely doesn't want to repeat the same mistakes it made with Street Fighter 5's launch, meaning an internal development delay for Street Fighter 6 is possible. Given that the game has potentially been in development for four-to-five years, Capcom being ready to reveal Street Fighter 6 in 2022 isn't out of the realm of possibility. Pair that with the Capcom Pro Tour serving as a swan song for Street Fighter 5, and Street Fighter fans have a lot to look forward to for this year's 35th anniversary.