Resident Evil 6 Sequel to Reboot Franchise? Capcom Says Series Must Return to 'Horror Roots'

Since the revolutionary "Resident Evil 4," Capcom's noted franchise has placed greater emphasis on action gameplay. The approach has created a deal of controversy from fans and critics; many favor the approach, but the others resent the franchise's move away from its horror roots. "Resident Evil 6"drew some of the worst reviews in the franchise and it seems that Capcom has finally come to terms with the fact that the company's current direction with the franchise may not be the right now.

IGN reports that Capcom is considering bringing Resident Evil back to its survival horror origins. Capcom's Masachika Kawata stated in an interview with IGN that "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."

He noted that "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."

Capcom had introduced action into the franchise to remain relevant with Western markets, but the negative press for "RE 6" seems to have altered those perceptions for Capcom.

"Survival horror as a genre is never going to be on the same level, financially, as shooters and much more popular, mainstream games. At the same time, I think we need to have confidence to put money behind these projects, and it doesn't mean we can't focus on what we need to do as a survival horror game to meet fan's needs," said Kawata.

He added that "We are always taking in to account user feedback, even when the users' are very upset about something."

Capcom is currently hard at work on releasing an HD version of "Resident Evil: Revelations." The game was originally released on the Nintendo 3DS but will launch on the Wii U, Sony Playstation 3, and Microsoft Xbox 360 on May 24. "Revelations" had a stronger emphasis on survival horror and was rewarded with strong reviews from most critics.