Why Resident Evil 5 Remake Is Probably Next On The List

It's been quite a successful few years for the iconic survival horror franchise Resident Evil. Ever since reviving the series in 2017 with a surprisingly fresh Resident Evil 7, the studio has been effortlessly releasing commercially and critically successful RE games every year for the past five years. 

While three of these releases have been remakes of classic titles, including the most recently released and critically acclaimed Resident Evil 4, it's safe to say these are stellar releases that have been diligently made from the ground up for modern systems. 

But what is next for this reinvigorated survival horror franchise? While many would think it's Resident Evil 9 or Code Veronica remake, something many fans, including myself, have been yearning for a long time, there are several reasons to believe that a Resident Evil 5 remake is on the horizon. 

Chris Redfield's & Jill Valentine's Story For A Potential Resident Evil 9

Plenty of people went into Resident Evil Village, knowing absolutely nothing about Chris Redfield. Why give this bulky character the spotlight in the cover art when Ethan Winters is the main protagonist? Why was Chris so pissed off after finding out the truth about BSAA? What were his connections to this organization, and why should we care about him?

Well, it's no surprise that Resident Evil Village did a poor job of establishing Chris' character and exemplifying his significance in the Resident Evil universe to someone new to the series. 

With Winters' story arc wrapped up in Village's Shadows of Rose DLC, it's safe to assume that we will either see a brand new protagonist or a returning face like Chris in RE 9. The latter seems more plausible, given how Village's story ends. 

On the other hand, a lot of people want Jill Valentine to make a comeback in Resident Evil 9. Interestingly, Valentine hasn't been seen in a mainline RE game since RE 5. Most importantly, given her history with Chris, her long-awaited return doesn't seem unreasonable. 

Speaking of Jill, the justice-seeking BSAA agent deserves the spotlight again, more so for new players who met her for the first time via the Resident Evil 3 remake. As she has a pivotal role in RE 5, the next logical step would be to remake this game for this new set of audience. 

There are two advantages of remaking Resident Evil 5 as far as Jill is concerned. First, new players will get to experience the next chapter of her story. And second, there won't be dissonance between veteran and new fans, and everyone should head in with a similar understanding of her character if Capcom were to bring back Jill in Resident Evil 9. 

If Capcom were to bring back Chris and Jill for one more time in Resident Evil 9, it would make sense for them to set the stage with a proper remake or reimagining of Resident Evil 5, where Chris and Jill last shared the stage. 

A Code Veronica Remake is Wanted, But a RE 5 Remake is Needed

As much as a Code Veronica remake is wanted at this point in time, a RE 5 remake is necessary solely for one reason: it's a mainline entry in the series. It's ironic because most veteran fans know Code Veronica is actually the third mainline entry in the series, continuing right after the events of Resident Evil 2. However, due to exclusivity mumbo jumbo between Capcom, Sony, and Sega back in the day, Jill Valentine's side story ended up taking center stage. 

Capcom needs to roll that dice again because the time to remake Code Veronica has long passed. It would have made more sense after RE 2 remake, but the studio decided to go with RE 3 & 4 instead.

 It's pretty clear what the studio's intentions are with these remakes, and if the RE 4's ending is any indication (more on that later), new fans would be more eager to dive into a sequel rather than a spin-off that has nothing to do with the events that follow after RE 4. 

The Not-so-Subtle Hints in the RE 4 remake

The 2023's reimagining of Resident Evil 4 is a significant improvement over the original in many ways. Photo-realistic visuals, improved gameplay, and a fleshed-out narrative are just a few aspects that make RE 4 remake better than the original.

Aside from these improvements, this rendition of RE 4 also hints at a potential RE 5 remake at several instances of its 20+ hours campaign. 

The first piece of evidence is how the new and improved AI companion Luis Serra works. Needless to say, the flamboyant Spanish researcher has more screen time in RE 4 remake than in the original. 

Unlike the original, Luis is more intuitive here as he distracts enemies, frees Leon from enemies' grabs, and participates in more scripted sequences that make one particular boss battle very engaging. 

Luis' extra screen space and role in combat in RE 4 remake could perhaps be a testing ground for something bigger, like a revamped AI companion or co-op system in RE 5 remake.

Unlike Resi 1-4, RE 5 features co-op play, and if Capcom were to remake RE 5, one of the things they must improve is the AI companion and their behavior during combat encounters. But why exactly does Luis' segment feels like it's teasing RE 5 remake? Because in the past, Capcom has hinted at future releases via game elements, levels, or even through the overarching narrative of its previous releases. It's not something that's exclusive to Capcom but pretty much how a lot of AAA game studios function. 

In Resi 3 remake, the Nemesis could infect other zombies with parasites which looked strikingly similar to the RE 4's Las Plagas. Interestingly, this wasn't the case in the original, and many players at that time took it as a subtle hint to a potential RE 4 remake. Later, Capcom confirmed that Nemesis' NE-a parasite was indeed developed to replicate the Plagas parasite. 

Resident Evil Village, the latest-mainline entry in the series, did something similar, prophesying the return of Resident Evil 4. Village is full of references to RE 4, with many claiming it to be the spiritual successor to that game. In fact, it also seemed like some of the Village's levels and environments, like the Dimitrescu castle or Heisenberg's factory, were all testing grounds for Salazar's castle and the island in the Resident Evil 4 remake.

Now after playing through the new RE 4, the island, in particular, feels like it borrowed a lot of assets from Heisenberg's factory, making this hypothesis all the more relevant. Long story short, if Capcom's history is anything to go by, the improved AI companion in RE 4 remake could very well be a short teaser for what's to come in the RE 5 remake. I mean, the alternative would be a co-op-focused RE 9, which seems more unreal than RE 5 remake. 

The most intriguing bit of reference to a potential RE 5 remake is the epilogue segment of the RE 4 remake.

Major story spoilers for RE 4 remake follow

The original RE 4 ends with Leon unashamedly flirting with Hunnigan. In RE 4 remake, there's no Leon or Ashley in the post-credit scene. Instead, the spotlight is on Ada Wong, who's smuggling Amber (the source of the Las Plagas parasite) to Albert Wesker, the enigmatic antagonist veteran fans are incredibly familiar with.

Now, in the original RE 4, Wesker makes several appearances via radio chats, as he's revealed to be the guy Ada is working for. In the remake, Wesker is notably absent throughout the game but makes a brief but intricate appearance at the end. Now, why would Capcom give him the spotlight if not to set the stage for RE 5 remake, in which he has a vital role to play?

One may argue that Wesker's appearance may be teasing Ada Wong's Separate Ways campaign, which is rumored to get a standalone DLC release in the future. However, there's more to Wesker's appearance than it meets the eye (pun intended). 

Upon closely inspecting Wesker's shades in the post-credit scenes, one can see the reflection of photographs of Excella Gionne, Wesker's business partner (who's a prominent character in RE 5), and the iconic architecture Stairway of the Sun (also in RE 5.)

If these weren't enough, Wesker also mentions his plans for world domination, a clever nudge to his "global saturation" speech in RE 5. 

With all these not-so-subtle references, it seems pretty clear where Capcom has its eyes set. 

RE5 Remake to be 2024's Missing Piece of the Puzzle

The team that worked on Resident Evil Village is probably knee-deep in developing Resident Evil 9. If the release pattern of the mainline new releases is anything to go by, fans shouldn't expect RE 9 until 2025. 

However, Capcom has been releasing a new RE game, be it a remake or a new entry, every year since 2019, which means there should be a new release in 2024. So, what is this missing piece of the puzzle we don't know about? Right now, everything points toward an RE 5 remake. 

Capcom outsourced the RE 3 remake, and if wants to continue the annual releases, it has to outsource one of its many projects. Resident Evil 4 is its magnum opus, and it made sense for Capcom's Division 1 to take over the remake's development from the previously outsourced company. RE 9 is the franchise's future and is too risky of a project to hand it off to a third-party studio. This leaves us with RE 5 remake. It's not as prestigious as RE 4, but still a vital piece of the puzzle. 

Of course, the 2024 RE game release could be anything other than RE 5. It could be the much-requested Code Veronica remake or the long-rumored Switch exclusive Resident Evil Outbreak. Capcom may also want to take a year off and instead focus on RE 9, or perhaps RE 9 will be ready for release in 2024.  

Right now, we don't know anything about what's next, but among all the different scenarios, the one with the Resident Evil 5 remake being the next big RE game makes the most sense.