Capcom's E3 2021 presentation has come and gone, and unfortunately for Resident Evil fans, the long-rumored remake of Resident Evil 4 was a no-show at the event. As far as Resident Evil is concerned, Capcom only discussed the DLC for Resident Evil Village and the new release date of its upcoming online multiplayer game, Resident Evil Re: Verse.
Although the absence of the rumored remake of Resident Evil 4 isn't surprising, especially since Capcom didn't mention anything special coming to the franchise when it announced its E3 lineup, many hoped that the company would surprise fans with the confirmation of the remake. Unfortunately, this never happened, and here are the possible implications of Resident Evil 4 Remake's absence at E3 2021.
Resident Evil 4 Remake May Be Further Away than Anticipated
Ever since the successful remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 3, fans of the survival horror franchise have eagerly anticipated which Resident Evil game will be reimagined next. While Capcom still hasn't confirmed the next remake, rumors persist that it will be Resident Evil 4. Several industry insiders, such as Dusk Golem, who was able to reveal accurate information on Resident Evil Village, claim that a remake of Resident Evil 4 has been in development since 2018, and the team working on it is larger than Resident Evil 2 and 3 remakes.
Unfortunately, the absence of the Resident Evil 4 Remake at E3 2021 indicates that the game is probably still in its early stages of development, especially since Capcom focused its resources on launching Resident Evil Village last month. Given this, it is likely that the long-anticipated remake of Resident Evil 4 won't be released until 2022 at the very least, though it is still possible that an announcement will be made sometime this year.
Resident Evil 4 Remake May Be Put On Hold In Favor of RE9 or RE: Outrage
Another reason that could explain Resident Evil 4 Remake's absence at E3 2021 is that the remake may have been put on hold in favor of other Resident Evil projects. It is worth noting that during the massive Capcom leak last year, a spin-off title, believed to be the third installment in the Revelations sub-series and will be called Resident Evil: Outrage, is in development at Capcom and is slated to release later this year. However, Outrage was also a no-show at E3 2021, which could mean that the game is also not ready to be announced, pushing the announcement of Resident Evil 4 Remake down the line.
While Capcom is not known for releasing mainline Resident Evil games in short intervals, it is also possible that the Resident Evil 4 Remake is being postponed in favor of Resident Evil 9. It is worth noting that leakers also claim that Resident Evil 9 will be the final installment in the new Resident Evil trilogy, which began with 7. Given Resident Evil Village's launch success, Capcom may be prioritizing the next major installment first over the remake of Resident Evil 4.
Resident Evil 4 Remake May Be Cancelled In Favor of RE: Code Veronica Remake
Although Resident Evil 4 Remake is all but confirmed, there is a tiny chance that the game is being temporarily canceled in favor of a Resident Evil: Code Veronica Remake. Before leaks claiming that the next remake is RE4, many believed that a reimagining of Code Veronica would take precedence. It is worth remembering that in Resident Evil's canon timeline, the events of Code Veronica happened just after the Raccoon City incident and years before Resident Evil 4.
While Resident Evil 4 is the more popular game, it is still possible that Code Veronica could still get the remake treatment, which could explain the absence of RE4 Remake at E3 2021. However, it is still worth noting that this scenario is highly unlikely, given that there is little to no evidence that a Code Veronica remake is in Capcom's pipeline, unlike Resident Evil 4, which has been backed by several industry insiders. Nonetheless, the absence of RE4 at E3 2021 could just mean that Capcom isn't ready to reveal it just yet, given that it is still preoccupied with Resident Evil Village's upcoming DLC, alongside other of Capcom's many video game franchises.
Resident Evil 4 Remake is rumored to be in development.