Resident Evil 6

Capcom has been satisfying hungry Resident Evil fans with revealing, gorgeous trailers and hordes of screenshots, but we want more. We crave more details about the upcoming horror game. We got the chance to stave off our fervent hunger by conducting a Q&A with Resident Evil 6 producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi. He talks about Wesker's son, the decision to move and shoot, and much more.

What’s the significance of the webbing in the “6” of the game’s logo?

The webbing is there to express a number of ideas. I could spell it all out for you here, but I think it’s more fun if I let you think about what it might mean in the context of the information we’ll be putting out about the game from now until its release. One thing I will tell you about the logo is that its blue color tone represents Leon, the core protagonist of the game.

At the Fright Club event, executive producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi mentioned that in addition to the 150 Capcom Japan staffers there are a total of 600 people working on RE 6. What worldwide studios are contributing to the development of the game?

Capcom is the only company actually developing the game, but what Mr. Kobayashi meant was that we are working with a number of companies to create the massive amount of assets required for Resident Evil 6, such as cutscene movies and voice-acting performances. This cooperative effort spans continents, and as a member of the overall team I’m working to ensure that everything is of the absolute highest quality.

Can you tell us more about the new male protagonist?

His name is Jake Muller, and as the son of Albert Wesker he is the heir to a “special blood type,” which makes him an integral part of the story. Jake is a mercenary and has been fighting on the side of anti-government forces on the battlefields of the Republic of Edonia in Eastern Europe. He faces death on a daily basis and the only things he trusts are his own instincts and cold, hard cash. Then one day a US agent named Sherry Birkin turns up and tells him he is the key to saving the world. Faced with this unbelievable situation, Jake agrees to help Sherry in exchange for a hefty fee, and so the two must escape from the enemies encroaching on all sides and get Jake’s “special blood” out safely for the sake of all humanity.

Where in Eastern Europe are Jake and Sherry?

They are in the Republic of Edonia, a state in Eastern Europe where government troops and anti-government forces are at war. Jake is working as a mercenary for the anti-government side.

Who is “that b****” Chris mentions in the trailer and what tragedy did he endure six months before the game? We think it’s Ada Wong.

I’m afraid I can’t tell you her name, but you should be able to find some clues to her identity in the first and second trailers. These trailers also contain hints about the tragedy Chris endured, so be sure to watch them carefully and see what you can figure out!

Is the large Nemesis-looking enemy in the trailer a nemesis variant?

No, this enemy is unrelated to Nemesis. All I can tell you is that most of the B.O.W.s in the game come from the new C-virus. If you watch the trailers it almost looks like this enemy is chasing Jake and company.

What makes the J'avo a more potent threat than the Las Plagas and Majini?

The J’avo mutate and change their attack patterns and methods, which makes them more challenging and terrifying enemies than anything seen before. For example, a J’avo whose arm has mutated and grown can reach out with it and attack the player while they are in cover, which would usually be a safe place to hide. There are many variations of J’avo mutations, so players will have to constantly rethink and adjust their attack strategy as they fight. In addition to the mutating body parts, there are further stages that transform the entire creature and bring a whole new horror into play.

With Wesker dead, who is the main threat?

Wesker certainly was a great character. However, I don’t want to spoil players’ enjoyment of the game by revealing who the main threat is, or indeed whether or not there is one person behind it all. If you want to know more, you’ll have to pick apart all the clues as more information on the game is made public.

What type of multiplayer can we expect?

Story mode co-op was a popular feature of Resident Evil 5, and you can enjoy this feature again in Resident Evil 6 with improvements such as drop-in, drop-out sessions that allow players to join and leave co-op at any point during gameplay without being returned to a previous checkpoint. In addition, Mercenaries mode is back and this time its available right from the outset. Watch this space for more details.

Will splitscreen return?

Yes, along with online co-op.

Will weapon upgrades be similar to RE5?

While I can’t go into detail, we are fully aware that users really enjoyed being able to customize their weapons, so there should be plenty to look forward to in this area.

What went into the decision to let players move and shoot? Can you expand on how this will affect gameplay?

The controls are designed to allow a frustration-free experience for players. Not only can you now move while shooting, but the camera is freely adjustable and you can dodge attacks quickly, slide and go into cover. You can also slide and then either get back up or remain on the ground and continue to shoot. All these moves will make the game more fun to play.

Also, when the player had to stop moving in order to shoot, we designed the enemy attacks with that in mind, but now that the player can shoot while moving around, enemies will come at them in a greater variety of ways. This allows us to introduce even more terrifying situations for the player, so we’ve been coming up with all kinds of ideas. For example, now that you can slide and attack from a laid-down position, you can expect zombies to then try and jump on top of you and attack you.

Will you be following a similar episodic, character-jumping campaign style as RE: Revelations?

There are three story threads in Resident Evil 6, each of which is played separately and stands alone, but the threads do also weave together in various ways, making for a rich, multifaceted story.

Will we be fighting armed human enemies as in Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City?

All I can tell you at this stage is that you will need to protect some of the human characters in Resident Evil 6, and team up with others in order to stay alive.

Leon's segments in Tall Oaks appear to focus on more atmospheric, creepy gameplay. Is RE 6 attempting to make the series scary again?

As part of the Resident Evil series, Resident Evil 6 naturally has horror as its foundation. However, I wouldn’t say we are bringing the series back to where it started. Rather, it’s an evolution. The game features not only horror but a dramatic story, engaging situations and thrilling gameplay; with this combination, we aim to create the ultimate in horror entertainment.

Can you explain the cover system?

I can’t give you any specifics at the moment, but the new control scheme will allow players to enter cover more intuitively, even while their character is in the middle of doing something else.