Resident Evil Game Franchise Might Get the (Re)Boot

Masachika Kawata, a longtime Resident Evil producer for Capcom, acknowledged in an interview with IGN that the troubled gaming franchise needs to return to its roots, going so far as to mention the possibility of a reboot. "I think that it's important for us to have users' needs in mind when making the games," Kawata said. "At the same time I think a lot of what people want now is to have Chris and Jill in a game, or they want it to look like Resident Evil used to look like. That's what makes the game work for them. We should be able to start from scratch and reboot it. It would still be Resident Evil. We wouldn't lose the essential nature of what makes it a good game just by changing the characters." Kawata added that the horror element--something many fans feel has been missing in recent games--is key to the success of a Resident Evil game. "Looking at last year - something like, for example, Operation Racoon City  – it was quite an experimental attempt in bringing the Resident Evil series to new genres. And in light of that game, certainly I would say that I review my thoughts on that [the importance of action]. But I think it's undeniable to say the series returning to its roots is important, and those roots are horror," said the producer. "The most important thing with a Resident Evil game is to bring across that feeling of horror and fear that's such a part of the series." You can check out IGN's video below.