Not-E3, or Summer Game Fest as Geoff Keighley likes to call it, is officially underway. With it, we got a glut of new game announcements, a lot of which were honestly pretty lackluster, except for one: Resident Evil Requiem. This is the ninth mainline entry in the series, featuring a new protagonist named Grace Ashcroft. She’s a reporter, just like her mom, who also appeared in another Resident Evil game: Resident Evil Outbreak.
There’s a lot to unpack in the Resident Evil Requiem trailer alone, which I’ll do so in another article. But for now, the reintroduction of Alyssa Ashcroft is huge. For context Resident Evil Outbreak was released for the PS2 back in 2002. It distinguished itself from the other mainline games by introducing a cast of playable characters, all with their own unique backstories, kits, and skills. It also featured cooperative multiplayer, and was widely beloved by the fan base though it didn’t get all that much mainstream attention.
Alyssa Ashcroft was one of those playable characters and a reporter for Raccoon Press. And because Umbrella’s such an evil corporation, they suppressed her memories about one of their experiments when she got too close to the truth.
Now here’s the interesting thing about Alyssa. She actually gets referenced in Resident Evil 7 as the writer for an article in the Dulvey Daily newspaper. RE7 took place in 2016, so if Requiem takes place in 2026, then that means Alyssa died sometime between Resident Evil 7 and 8. With Grace Ashcroft taking the mantle, it looks like Requiem will explore her relationship with her mom and also give us some hints as to how Alyssa finally died.
But how is Capcom going to drum up interest for Alyssa Ashcroft who, unlike Jill or Leon or Claire, isn’t exactly a Resident Evil household name? Why, by working on a Resident Evil Outbreak remake of course. I mean, it makes sense, right? We’ve already gotten remakes for Resident Evil 2 and 3, both of which were set in Raccoon City, so if Capcom wants to continue that Raccoon saga before taking us back there in Requiem, announcing an Outbreak remake would be the way to go.
Resident Evil Outbreak has its own share of hardcore fans, but I think we can all agree that the lack of voice chat and other basic multiplayer functionalities really dragged it down. With the RE Engine, modern multiplayer features, and a fresh coat of paint, I could see Outbreak being a hit even among newer series fans. Raccoon City as the main backdrop would really help too, especially for folks who have only played the remakes.
The bottomline is that this would be a fantastic way to drum up hype for Requiem ahead of its 2026 release. Remake Outbreak. Release it to the public. Let players get to know Alyssa, and then tease Requiem at the end so we’re just dying to find out what happens to her after that. Brilliant! And no, I’m definitely not just hankering for even more remakes because I’m such a Resident Evil shill…
Resident Evil Requiem is set to be released for PC and consoles on Feb. 27, 2026.
