Early Resident Evil Requiem Gameplay Leaks, We Dodged a Bullet

Early leaked gameplay footage proved that Resident Evil Requiem could have been a very different game, and we absolutely dodged a bullet.

Last month, Resident Evil Requiem finally graced us with its presence in what is already a strong Game of the Year contender. With gameplay segments shared between veteran Leon S. Kennedy and newcomer to the series, Grace Ashcroft, Resident Evil Requiem has a near-perfect balance of survival horror and action horror.

“As a horror game in its own right, Resident Evil Requiem is a very solid nine out of ten, but as a passionate fan of the series, it earns an additional bonus point thanks to the attention to detail and craft that’s gone into every pore of this game,” I said in my review, scoring it my first 10/10 on GAMINGbible.

Resident Evil Requiem Was Nearly a Very Different Game

Before the launch of Resident Evil Requiem, some rumours were making the social media rounds that it was under consideration to be a multiplayer game. Now, I’m not dead-set against a multiplayer game in this beloved Capcom series, but as history has often proven, it’s never been a winning formula for Resident Evil.

When it comes to online multiplayer, the Resident Evil series has continually missed the mark. Look, I know that the two Resident Evil: Outbreak games are cult classics, especially the sequel, but they can still be considered flops.

However, largely due to the games being ahead of their time on the PlayStation 2 with online co-op, they never enjoyed the success that they deserved. Which is why Capcom should really revive Resident Evil: Outbreak on modern systems.

Then we have the tacked-on multiplayer games, Resident Evil: Resistance, released with the Resident Evil 3 remake (a co-op asymmetrical title) and a third-person shooter, RE:Verse, bundled with Resident Evil Village. In Capcom's defence, I do give them some credit for attempting to make these multiplayer games a success, but let’s face it, they were never going to be a success.

As picked up by EGW News, the Twitter account REBiohazardNews has shared what looks to be very early concept footage of Resident Evil Requiem as a co-op multiplayer game, and boy, we dodged a bullet.

The gun action looks fast and frantic, everything that this series should not be. Check it out here!

Why Would Capcom Consider a Co-Op Approach?

As much as I enjoy playing Resident Evil 5 co-op with a friend, the fact that it was a very action-oriented game that is shared with another player, it practically removed all horror and tension from the game. Capcom doubled down on this with Resident Evil 6, and it didn't work well.

Yet, with the arrival of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard in 2017, it proved that co-op horror is not the way forward for the series, with fans desperate for a return to proper survival horror. Something that was mostly achieved in each new release that followed.

So, given the success of every Resident Evil game from RE7, it does surprise me somewhat that Capcom considered ruining that by making Resident Evil Requiem a co-op action horror.

Thankfully, that concept never came to fruition, and I think we can mostly agree that decision worked out for the best, especially with live-service multiplayer games, being colossal flops in recent times with the likes of Concord and Highguard leading the charge.

Resident Evil Requiem is out now on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch 2.