It’s official, Resident Evil Requiem is not just coming to the Nintendo Switch 2, it’s launching on the new console as a day one title. This marks a major shift for Capcom and Nintendo fans, as it’s the first time since Resident Evil 4, two decades ago, that a mainline Resident Evil game will be a launch day title on a Nintendo platform.
This news comes from an interview with Requiem’s director, Koshi Nakanishi, and producer, Masato Kumazawa, who opened up about the game’s development, the anniversary, and what it’s been like working with the new Switch 2 hardware.
Switch 2 Is Getting Resident Evil
One of the most surprising takeaways from the interview is that Capcom didn’t originally plan for Requiem to be released for the series’ 30th anniversary. Kumazawa noted that it was due to the project’s development schedule and trial and error that it just happened to land in the anniversary year. He also mentions that fans have been reading into it, thinking it was all part of the plan with the return to Raccoon City, but that they were originally two separate ideas. That’s not to mention leaks either.
Once the release date landed in the anniversary year, they did feel a certain amount of responsibility to be the game that brings the series to that anniversary point. This is an interesting perspective, as it shows that even for a company as large as Capcom, some things just happen by chance, and they have to adapt to the situation. It’s also a good sign that they’re taking the anniversary seriously, even if it wasn’t the original plan.
When asked about the decision to release the game on the Switch 2, Kumazawa explained that when they got their hands on the new hardware, they were pleasantly surprised by how smooth the process was to port the existing development version of the game to the new platform. This made it a no-brainer to bring the main game to the hardware immediately, rather than waiting or doing a separate port later. Nakanishi added that the RE Engine, which they used for the game, was already highly scalable, so adding the Switch 2 to the mix was just another platform to scale it to, rather than a massive challenge.
Capcom Is Giving Switch 2 a Lot of Support
Another interesting point from the interview was about data streaming and the Switch 2’s Game Key Cards. While some developers have suggested that data streaming can be an issue with putting a game onto a card, Nakanishi noted that it’s more of a sales strategy decision for them rather than a development one.
This suggests that the Switch 2’s new format won’t be a technical hurdle for developers to overcome, and that the cards themselves are more about the distribution model than a performance consideration. This is a good thing to hear, as it means developers won’t be held back by the hardware, and we can expect some really impressive games on the platform.
The interview also touched on the fact that Capcom decided to release Resident Evil 7, Village, and Requiem all at the same time on the Switch 2. Kumazawa explained that they first prototyped Village on the new hardware and found the process to be so smooth that they decided to look at Requiem as well. Since that also went smoothly, they decided to go “the whole hog” and add in Resident Evil 7 as well.
This makes a ton of sense, and it’s a great move for anyone new to the series. A new player can just jump in and play all three of the most recent mainline games at once, which is a fantastic way to welcome new fans to the series.
Source: VGC
