Resident Evil reboot possible

A Resident Evil reboot is possible, according to Capcom producer Masachika Kawata. Speaking to Eurogamer, the designer was asked if Capcom would consider changing up the series formula--perhaps making it open-world--after the polarizing reception of Resident Evil 6, to which the idea of a reboot was mentioned.

"If we did [go with an open-world], we would want to preserve what Resident Evil is and what makes it appealing to fans, while also making it accessible to new players. It would almost entail having a slight reboot to get the series into a place where it would work with open-world gameplay," he said. "That's just a personal opinion."

"A lot of decisions would have to be taken before something like that is done to the series, but it is something that…" he added. "There is a possibility."

Kawata is currently working on the recently announced Resident Evil: Revelations port for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii U, due out in May. He said the reception to this game will impact the direction Capcom heads in the future with regard to Resident Evil.

"Once we see Revelations released on consoles, we'll be looking very carefully at how the title is received and what feedback we get," he said. "I think we'll get a lot of input from the fanbase and the media on what it means for Resident Evil, and what it could mean for the future of the series. We'll definitely be looking at that as a signpost for where we need to be going next."

One possibility for the future of Resident Evil, Kawata said, is for Capcom to place greater focus on the horror component, making "something scarier than we have already."

Capcom has previously said a Resident Evil 2 remake is possible with enough fan support.