Resident Evil 7 May Be Announced Soon, is Unreal Engine 4 Powering It?

Rumors are abound that Epic Games' latest engine, Unreal Engine 4, may be powering Resident Evil 7. The engine is currently being used in the development of Shenmue 3, Street Fighter V, Kingdom Hearts 3, and many other Japanese games. 

The rumor surfaced when Epic Games Japan's Kawasaki Takayuki spoke on the popularity of the engine, which he said is used in many big titles made in Japan. He says that there are more announcements on the way, and that Epic Games even talked about the currently revealed titles several years before they were officially announced. He added that there is one major AAA title to be announced using Unreal Engine 4 before the end of the year.

This statement lead to speculation that Epic Games Japan was referring to none other than Resident Evil 7, because there are few other popular franchise contenders that haven't already been announced. Furthermore, Capcom's Hiroyuki Kobayashi told the company's fans to keep their ears close to the ground regarding Resident Evil 7. 

While Resident Evil 7 may be announced before the end of the year, there's little to actually indicate that the game will be powered by Unreal Engine 4, especially given that Capcom has its own in-house engine called Panta Rhei—though the engine seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth along with its flagship title, Deep Down. 

But given that the studio also opted to use Unity to power the upcoming Resident Evil: Umbrella Corps, there's still a slight chance that they might use Unreal Engine 4 for Resident Evil 7. Only time will tell. 

Pictured image: Resident Evil: Umbrella Corps