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Resident Evil 7: Biohazard was an excellent success for Capcom and its developers, with great gameplay and a thrilling story. However, things could have been quite different for the game.
If the recent news is to be believed, the company originally had a completely different idea in mind. Multiplayers and live services were the original ideas devised for the game. Fortunately, the ideas were later rejected.
In a video, executive producer Jun Takeuchi candidly shared how Capcom's ideas differed significantly from what they envisioned. The Japanese giants wanted the game to focus on a multiplayer experience at its core with an emphasis on live service.
However, things did not go as planned, and the developers realized the harsh reality midway through production. Takeuchi also shared why the plans for a live service were thought up in the first place. He shared the difficulties that arose, which prompted them to go back to go back to their roots with Resident Evil 7: Biohazard.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard could have been a completely different game if Capcom's wishes had come true
Speaking with Shinji Mikami, Takeuchi expressed how publishers Capcom wanted something very different with Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, saying:
"So we were being told 'make this, make that', it was really hard on the directors at the time. 'Online multiplayer' this, 'downloadable content' that. 'Ongoing service games! Microtransactions! Make a Resident Evil game that ticks all those boxes!'"
These demands came at a time when Takeuchi and his team were drawing plans for how the new game will be. While criticizing the directors, Takeuchi felt that they did not understand the game much. He added:
"Seriously, there were so many demands… those poor directors. Finally, our president, [Kenzo] Tsujimoto stepped in. He'd heard about all the unsuccessful attempts at that point. So this is one of those unforgettable moments for me."
Thankfully, Capcom's Tsujimoto saved the day, and Resident Evil 7: Biohazard could progress according to the team's original vision. He recounted:
"It was January 4, the first working day of the new year. The president called me to his office. 'Resident Evil 7 is in pretty bad shape. Takeuchi-kun, step in and help make it!' So that's how I ended up working on Resident Evil 7."
Takeuchi added that they could create a multiplayer-only horror game if they had the vision and resources to create one, concluding:
"First, we decided that Resident Evil's roots are in horror. We talked about it a lot. The idea of multiplayer got killed off pretty quickly. If we could properly put it together we could make an exciting horror multiplayer game, but we didn't really have any good ideas so we set it aside."
Even though Takeuchi called the single-player experience marketing's "worst nightmare," the pre-release hiccup undoubtedly pushed Resident Evil 7: Biohazard to become a great success. However, there is nothing that stops Capcom from releasing a live-service Resident Evil title in the future.
