Resident Evil Requiem will be a ‘different’ survival horror experience for new and returning RE fans, according to producer Masato Kumazawa. Speaking to ScreenHub at a recent preview event, Kumazawa described a clear intention for Requiem to be entirely different from its predecessors, particularly with protagonist Grace Ashcroft at the helm.
Ashcroft is a relatively inexperienced protagonist, compared to other heroes of the franchise. Unlike fan-favourites Leon S. Kennedy or Claire Redfield, she doesn’t have combat experience, and so her journey will be one that relies more on stealth and clever thinking – as shown in our recent gameplay preview.
Resident Evil Requiem interview – quick links
Resident Evil Requiem was inspired by real-life fears and emotions
‘We want to provide a different survival horror experience. We want to show fresh scares,’ Kumazawa said. ‘By providing a new character, [who is] very scared, compared to [protagonists] in past games, it will bring a new experience to the player.’
As noted, Ashcroft is more scared in her journey. While most Resident Evil protagonists go through some degree of trauma in their adventures, Ashcroft doesn’t have the backup of deadly weaponry or combat skill to make up the difference.
In one particular level shared with media, Ashcroft is seen sweating and swearing her way through various environmental challenges, with her lack of experience, and very relatable, human reactions adding layers of fear and dread-filled anticipation to the gameplay journey.
Per Kumazawa, part of this horror and helplessness was inspired by his own personal experiences. While the Resident Evil team is comprised of horror fans, he found the richest material in mining his own memories and emotions, and applying them to the game’s story.
‘With my perspective, more than games, more than anime, I like to look upon my own experiences, of what I faced,’ Kumazawa explained. ‘At the same time, I guess it all depends on the person. We get information [and horror inspiration] from many sources.’
Of course, the original Resident Evil games were also a core source of inspiration, shaping Ashcroft’s journey, and the deeper threads of Requiem. As previously described, this upcoming game will explore the legacy of the past games, with a focus on the zombie-creating Racoon City Incident which defines the core of the franchise. It will take cues from Resident Evil 7 in its approach to horror, with elements of RE2 in its scares.
‘We have looked more deeply into the past, especially past events,’ Kumazawa said of Requiem‘s direction. ‘What we did is we sorted through, “okay, what exactly happened?” … For example, the Racoon City Incident, okay, let’s look at showing it this way, or portraying it in this way.’
Resident Evil Outbreak, which first released for PlayStation 2 in 2003, became a direct inspiration for Requiem, as it explored the nature of the Racoon City Incident from new perspectives.
Do players need to play Resident Evil Outbreak to understand Requiem?
‘We decided to go back to Raccoon City, and the Raccoon City Incident, and looked at it … and we wanted to look at who was involved,’ Kumazawa said. ‘We chose to look at the cast from RE2, RE3, and Outbreak – so we’re thinking, which character shall we choose, and that’s how we got through it.’
Alyssa Ashcroft was chosen as the most interesting character to expand on, and eventually, ideas to explore her story through her daughter, Grace Ashcroft, were developed. All that said, players don’t need to have played Resident Evil Outbreak to understand what’s happening in Requiem.
‘It’s not a pre-requisite to play Outbreak,’ Kumazawa confirmed. ‘We want you to know that we just chose a character who was linked into the Raccoon City Incident.’
As Alyssa Ashcroft is a character with fewer ties to the main narrative, whose story was only explored in a singular game, she had the most potential and mystery about her. Requiem became a chance to explore new aspects of the RE narrative, and fill in more blank pages about what happened in Raccoon City in the late 1990s, and what followed.
What does ‘Requiem‘ really mean?
Since the latest Resident Evil‘s ‘Requiem‘ subtitle was revealed, there’ve been plenty of questions about what the word means, and how it relates to the game. Speaking to ScreenHub, Kumazawa confirmed a very layered meaning.
‘The first part is looking at Grace’s past,’ Kumazawa said. ‘Eight years ago, she lost her mother, and that’s a trauma [that defines her] … being involved with this new biohazard incident, it’s almost giving her a requiem [a remembrance of] these incidents.’
‘Of course, it’s also putting a requiem to Raccoon City itself. There’s actually a lot more meaning to requiem, and there’s many things that are going to have a requiem however, I’d like to save it for when you play. As you see the ending credits, you’ll go through and say, “these were where the requiems [were]”.’
Heading into the launch of Resident Evil Requiem, it’s these elements that Kumazawa is most looking forward to seeing players discover: ‘I want players to look forward to the story, and enjoy looking at what kind of secrets still lie in Raccoon City. Also, looking at Grace’s growth – what kind of ending is she going to meet?’
Giving players ‘constant fear’ is also an excitement for Kumazawa, as the team has worked hard to ‘place emphasis on the gameplay, and trying to make sure … players keep on getting scared.’
Those ready to open their mind to the horrors of Resident Evil Requiem won’t have to wait long to encounter its biggest scares. As previously announced, the game launches for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2 on 27 February 2026.
