Today is a Sad Day For Resident Evil Fans, But There May Be a Silver Lining

Resident Evil fans have had a great few weeks. Resident Evil Requiem was finally unveiled during Summer Game Fest, and it was confirmed that fans will be heading back to Raccoon City. Fans were treated to another look at the game a few days ago, with Capcom’s Showcase giving them a deeper dive into new protagonist Grace Ashcroft, and the first look at Resident Evil Requiem‘s gameplay.

But it’s not all positive news for the Resident Evil franchise. On June 30, Capcom officially shut down the online servers of one Resident Evil game, and while it’s far from the most beloved entry, it’s still sad to see it go offline for good. That said, this shutdown could be a blessing in disguise.

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Resident Evil Re:Verse Has Just Been Shut Down

Every RE Game with Raccoon City- Re-Verse 1

Originally bundled with Resident Evil Village, but delayed to over a year after its release, Resident Evil Re:Verse was a third-person multiplayer shooter that saw players take control of the franchise’s most iconic heroes and villains, and go head-to-head in online deathmatches. The game’s most unique hook was that when a human player is downed, they’re resurrected as one of Resident Evil‘s terrifying bioweapons.

Resident Evil Re:Verse was an incredibly simple multiplayer game, and that simplicity did it no favors among critics. Re:Verse‘s floaty shooting mechanics, wildly unbalanced roster of bioweapons and humans, and extreme lack of modes led to the multiplayer experiment being heavily criticized by both fans and reviewers.

Despite essentially being dead on arrival, Resident Evil Re:Verse has continued to cling to life for almost three years. Though, that came to an end today. Resident Evil Re:Verse‘s online servers were officially shut down on June 30 at 1:59am CT/2:59am ET. It’s all over for Re:Verse, but Capcom closing the door here could open another somewhere else.

Resident Evil Re:Verse’s Death Could Mark a New Beginning

Resident Evil Re:Verse Was Made With A Clear Goal in Mind

The core idea behind Resident Evil Re:Verse was that it was a celebration of the franchise’s history, intended to coincide with the series’ 25th anniversary. In its announcement that Re:Verse was being shut down, Capcom said, “Now that we’ve reached a new turning point for the series, we feel that Resident Evil Re:Verse has served its original, celebratory purpose admirably.”

This “new turning point for the series” is fast approaching, with Resident Evil Requiem seemingly making some bold steps in a new direction. But while Resident Evil Re:Verse might not fit this new era, a different type of multiplayer experience could.

Resident Evil Requiem Could Deliver Its Own Re:Verse-Like Mode

It might be fun to see Resident Evil Requiem come with a standalone multiplayer mode of its own, albeit one that’s far more polished than Re:Verse and one that leans into the series’ new psychological horror elements. For instance, a four-player co-op survival horror game like The Outlast Trials could fit the series’ new tone well, and offer fans a new type of Resident Evil multiplayer experience.

Alternatively, Resident Evil Requiem could come packaged with a remaster of the Resident Evil Outbreak games. These two PS2 exclusives saw up to four players joining forces to escape from Raccoon City during the height of the outbreak. Resident Evil Outbreak would be the perfect multiplayer mode for Requiem, with Grace Ashcroft’s mother, Alyssa, appearing as one of the duology’s eight playable characters.

Another fun, but very different option would be a multiplayer Resident Evil Mercenaries mode. Though Resident Evil Village and Resident Evil 4 Remake had their own Mercenaries modes, the series hasn’t let players team up to take down waves of bioweapons since 2011’s Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D.