Shinji Mikami Is Not Interested In Returning To Resident Evil

The Resident Evil franchise is quite a massive one. Players worldwide have sat through these incredible survival horror video games. However, it wouldn’t be anything if it wasn’t for that first title release. Sure, looking back at that original release now it’s pretty dated. Fortunately, there have been remakes that have given the game a massive overhaul today. But looking back at this cherished IP, the man who took on the director role for the first game was Shinji Mikami. Today, we’re finding out that Shinji wouldn’t be interested in returning to the franchise.

Thanks to Insider Gaming, who credits X social media account Genki we’re finding out that both Shinji Mikami and Hideki Kamiya had a stream together. Both touched on a few subjects, such as their early start in the Capcom company. You’ll find that both also had their hands on the Resident Evil franchise. But focusing on Shinji Mikami, it seems he’s not interested in returning to the IP. It’s left some fans wondering just where Shinji could land alongside Hideki. If you don’t recall, the duo left their positions in their past studios, with Hideki stepping away from PlatinumGames and Shinji leaving Tango Gameworks. 

For some fans, it’s unfortunate Shinji is not making a return. This individual had their hands on the Resident Evil franchise for several years and saw the release across multiple installments. The last of these was 2005’s Resident Evil 4, where he was the director and writer for the game. Meanwhile, fans are also waiting to see what Capcom is opting to do for the Resident Evil franchise. After the release of the Resident Evil 4 remake, we’re left waiting for the announcement of the following major installment. 

We don’t know if that will be a Resident Evil 9 to continue on the storyline from where Resident Evil Village left off or not. We have seen reports in the past that this next mainline installment would see the next storyline arc for the Resident Evil franchise. However, there was also news that Capcom is interested in bringing out more remakes from past Resident Evil games. The remakes have certainly done quite well in the marketplace. So perhaps we’ll see Resident Evil 5 come out next or potentially a spin-off with the likes of Resident Evil: Code Veronica. All we can do is wait and see if Capcom decides to make an announcement on the franchise sometime in 2024.