Resident Evil 9 is reportedly going open world, according to a new rumour. Capcom recently released Dragon’s Dogma 2, an open world action-RPG that was the first to experiment with an open world on the company’s proprietary RE Engine. A new report claims that Capcom is using this technology to further enhance both the upcoming Monster Hunter Wilds as well as the next major Resident Evil title.
The rumour originates from leaker Dusk Golem, who has a history of accurate leaks regarding Capcom’s franchises. The leaker claims that Capcom often greenlights new initiatives by putting three projects in development close together. A few years ago, the company greenlit Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, the Resident Evil 2 remake and Devil May Cry 5 fairly close together, hoping to harness the capabilities of its new RE Engine.
In an attempt to push the technology of the RE Engine, Capcom apparently expanded the engine’s “functionality for open world games”, with the two other games being built on this tech (apart from Dragon’s Dogma 2) reportedly being Resident Evil 9 and Monster Hunter Wilds.
(2/2) take on RE:3 & RE:4 for a remake initiative. Dragons Dogma 2 expanded RE Engine functionality for open world games, the two other games building on this tech is Monster Hunter Wild & Resident Evil 9.
— AestheticGamer aka Dusk Golem (@AestheticGamer1) March 22, 2024
Monster Hunter fans already speculated that the next mainline entry, Monster Hunter Wilds, might adopt an open world setting judging by the reveal trailer, which showed a more open-ended world as opposed to the franchise’s usual closed areas. Resident Evil 9 does come as a bit of a surprise, though, as Capcom has never experimented with an open world setting for its staple survival horror series before.
If the rumour turns out to be true, then we can expect the next major Resident Evil game to feature an open world. It will be interesting to see how Capcom handles the series’ first shift into that setting. That said, Resident Evil 9 has yet to be officially announced despite some ongoing rumours so we might be in for a long wait.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is now available for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. Read our full review right here.
Source: Dusk Golem
