Resident Evil 7 "Scaling Back" on Classic Cameos, Series Actor Says

Not much is known about Resident Evil 7's story, other than the name of the protagonist, his mission, and a few other details. Now, Resident Evil's current Leon voice actor Matt Mercer told GameSpot the upcoming game is "scaling back" on cameos of classic characters, adding that he believes it's a good thing.

"As far as 7 goes, I think they're scaling back a little bit on throwing in all the classic cameos," Mercer said. "I can say that I don't have any involvement in 7 directly.

"But I think it's also good of them, especially coming off of [Resident Evil 6] and its lukewarm reception, to go ahead and reestablish their roots and maybe start an original story," he continued. "And if they decide that that does well, maybe they can then marry it in with the previous stories."

Mercer said he thinks that concentrating on the quality of Resident Evil's new direction is "paramount to maintaining the franchise." However, he says if Capcom ever sees a good opportunity for Leon to show up in Resident Evil 7 or a future game, he's "eagerly awaiting the phone call."

"Leon is a character I have a strong appreciation for," said Mercer. "I loved him when I played the series and being able to step into those shoes has been a huge honor. So any chance to jump into his shoes again, I would definitely leap at."

Mercer took over the voice of Leon in Resident Evil 6 and has since appeared in Resident Evil: Revelations 2 and two animated movies, including next year's Resident Evil: Vendetta.

Resident Evil 7 releases for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on January 24, 2017.

We chatted with Mercer as part of an interview for Critical Role, an online Dungeons & Dragons show that features multiple video game voice actors and, at times, celebrity guests such as Fast & Furious's Vin Diesel. The Last of Us actor Ashley Johnson was also present and said she'd love to return for a sequel to the 2013 video game.