Resident Evil Requiem producer reveals game was originally meant to be an online title before pivot back to horror

Resident Evil Requiem producer Masachika Kawata has revealed that the game was initially developed as an online title before Capcom abandoned the idea and returned its focus to horror.

Resident Evil Requiem was originally being developed as an online game before Capcom abandoned the idea and shifted its focus back towards horror, producer Masachika Kawata has revealed.

Kawata shared the details in the Biohazard 30th Special Mook, a 124-page fan book celebrating three decades of Capcom’s survival horror series.

According to a fan translation, director Koshi Nakanishi initially took the game in a very different direction.

Kawata said: “Every game is a continuous process of trial and error. For example, with Resident Evil Requiem, [Nakanishi] initially went so far as to develop it as an online game.”

However, research conducted during development reportedly convinced the team that the online approach was not working.

Kawata explained: “The results of research conducted partway through development were not favourable, so we decided to prioritise the horror concept once again and abandoned the online direction.”

The producer also revealed that Leon Kennedy was originally intended to be the game’s sole protagonist.

The team eventually decided that Leon’s combat abilities could undermine the horror experience, leading to the introduction of new character Grace.

Kawata said: “Leon was also the first character confirmed to appear as a protagonist.

“However, we determined that with Leon alone, who excels in combat, ‘horror would no longer work,’ so it was decided to introduce Grace as a new character.”

Capcom also deliberately kept Leon’s involvement under wraps until late in the game’s marketing campaign.

Kawata said maintaining the mystery around the game’s balance between horror and action helped sustain interest until launch.

The abandoned online direction is particularly notable given Capcom’s previous attempts to introduce multiplayer and live-service elements into Resident Evil.

During Resident Evil 7’s development, franchise producer Jun Takeuchi recalled pressure to include online multiplayer, downloadable content and microtransactions.

Those plans were eventually discarded, leaving Capcom with what Takeuchi jokingly described as “marketing’s worst nightmare”, a traditional single-player horror game.

Resident Evil Requiem ultimately followed that path, with Capcom prioritising its horror identity over an online experience. The revelations also suggest just how dramatically the game changed during development before becoming the finished title.

With Capcom continuing to expand the Resident Evil franchise, the possibility of another multiplayer project remains open. For now, however, Requiem’s abandoned online ambitions offer a fascinating glimpse at what could have been.