In 1998, Square Enix released Parasite Eve, an action role-playing game that is a sequel to the novel of the same name written by Hideki Sena. Although Parasite Eve was not as popular as other games released in the same year, such as Capcom's Resident Evil, the game still had a solid following, and fans have since wondered what happened to the franchise.
A few years after the release of Parasite Eve, Square Enix released a sequel called Parasite Eve 2 in 1999. Since then, the franchise has been on hiatus until 2010, when The 3rd Birthday was released, which is the third entry in the Parasite Eve franchise, but its events only had a loose connection to previous ones. Now, it has been a decade ever since the last Parasite Eve, and fans of the franchise have been wondering whether Square Enix will revive the series. The question now is, will Square Enix develop a remake of Parasite Eve?
Parasite Eve Could Be Square Enix's Resident Evil
At the moment, Square Enix hasn't confirmed anything with regards to a remake of Parasite Eve. However, looking at the success of reimagined games in the past years, Square Enix has the opportunity to achieve the same level of success as Capcom when it comes to remakes, and Parasite Eve may even be Square Enix's Resident Evil. In 2001, Capcom released a remake of the first Resident Evil game on the GameCube. While the initial launch was lackluster, the Resident Evil Remake increased its overall sales when it was released to the PS3, and eventually, the PS4.
Capcom's remake of Resident Evil 2 is the company's most successful yet, especially since the 2019 remake has since outsold the original's lifetime sales. Earlier this year, Capcom also released a remake of Resident Evil 3, and while it is not as popular as Resident Evil 2, the RE3 remake is still considered a success. Of course, it is important to point out that Parasite Eve is not as successful as Resident Evil, but it is also worth pointing out that Square Enix has the opportunity to reintroduce Parasite Eve to a new generation of players who may be interested in playing the story of Aya Brea.
How Likely Is Square Enix To Remake Parasite Eve?
As previously mentioned, Square Enix still hasn't revealed any plans to remake Parasite Eve. However, the rumors about the possibility of a remake continue to be a popular topic of discussion online, which is evidence in itself that there are still devoted fans who want to see the return of the franchise. Unfortunately for fans, it appears that a remake of Parasite Eve is unlikely given that Square Enix hasn't really shown a deep interest to revive the franchise. However, fans shouldn't lose all hope given that Square Enix developer Yoshinori Kitase, who is also the producer of the Final Fantasy 7 remake, revealed in an interview that he believes the characters in Parasite Eve are "very deep and rich." Additionally, Kitase also remarked that "I don't know any plans right now, but it would be a waste not to use those characters."
Moreover, Kitase also acknowledged that there is a huge demand for horror games right now, and while Parasite Eve is not a full-fledged horror game, it still had a touch of survival horror, similar to the classic Resident Evil titles. In the end, no one knows whether Square Enix will ever resurrect the Parasite Eve franchise again. However, it is worth remembering that Resident Evil fans fought for the Resident Evil 2 remake, allowing Capcom to see that there is a high demand for the reimagining of the classic game, and maybe Parasite Eve fans who wish to see the return of the franchise should also do the same.
A Parasite Eve remake has not been announced.