While Resident Evil 7 marked a return to the franchise's horror roots, the game also felt like a major departure from series norms in a number of other ways. Those that enjoyed the changes Resident Evil 7 made to the franchise's formula are in luck, as Capcom has confirmed that it is the start of a "new series," teasing that Resident Evil 8 will be similar in style.

Resident Evil 7 executive producer Jun Takeuchi made these comments in the fourth part of the "Making Of" video series detailing the development of the popular survival-horror game. Takeuchi went on to say that plans for Resident Evil 8 are "already in motion," and it may end up having some major differences when compared to Resident Evil 7. Even so, Takeuchi's comments seem to suggest that it will still be a similar game at its core, presumably with a focus on horror over action and a first-person perspective.

"We want [ Resident Evil 7 ] to be the start of a new kind of survival horror and of a new series. We're already thinking of various plans for the next game, but we also want to see how we can continue to evolve survival-horror itself."

Takeuchi also stated that the advancement of technology may play a role in the development of Resident Evil 8. It's possible he is referring to evolving virtual reality hardware, since Resident Evil 7uses PlayStation VR, but he could also be referring to new gaming consoles, like the Nintendo Switch or the upcoming Project Scorpio from Xbox.

Concrete details on Resident Evil 8 aren't likely to come any time soon, but it's good to know that the game is already in the planning stages. Some of the franchise's more action-oriented fans may be disappointed to learn that Resident Evil 8 will likely have more in common with Resident Evil 7 than 4, but with RE7 selling 2.5 million units in one week and earning widespread critical acclaim, it's hard to blame Capcom for sticking with this style.

In the meantime, those interested in a more traditional Resident Evil experience should get their wish soon enough. A Resident Evil 2 remake has been in development for a couple of years, and now that Resident Evil 7 has finally launched, fans should expect to see footage of it sooner rather than later.

Resident Evil 7 is available now for PC, PS4, PlayStation VR, and Xbox One.