Capcom has revealed that Resident Evil Requiem was almost an online game. Interestingly, this lines up with a previous leak claiming that RE9 was originally going to be a multiplayer title starring Leon and Jill Valentine.Resident Evil Requiem Was Almost an Online GameScreenshot: CapcomBack in early 2025, infamous leaker Dusk Golem claimed that Resident Evil Requiem was originally going to be a multiplayer title. At the time, many fans were skeptical about the rumor. However, Capcom recently confirmed that RE9 was initially developed as online title before taking a very different direction.In a recent interview with Biohazard 30th Special Mook, Capcom’s Masachika Kawata revealed: “Every game is a continuous process of trial and error. For example, with Resident Evil Requiem, game director Koshi Nakanishi initially went so far as to develop it as an online game.”Kawata then explained why the team abandoned its plans to take Resident Evil 9 in an online direction. “However, the results of research conducted partway through development were not favorable, so we decided to prioritize the horror concept once again and abandoned the online direction.”What Was Resident Evil Requiem Originally Supposed to Be?Screenshot: CapcomNow that we know the 2025 leak had some truth to it, I thought it would be interesting to take a look back at what Dusk Golem said. After all, it might give us some insight into the game that Resident Evil Requiem was originally going to be.Here are the main claims Dusk Golem made about RE9’s original development plans:Resident Evil 9 reportedly began development in 2016 or early 2017, shortly after Resident Evil 7 launched.The early version of RE9 was reportedly planned as a large open-world multiplayer game, taking the opposite approach to RE7.Leon and Jill reportedly starred together, with the game set on a fictional island inspired by Singapore.The project reportedly underwent a major reboot in 2021, around the release of Resident Evil Village.Some elements reportedly survived the reboot, including Leon remaining the main character.Of course, Capcom hasn’t confirmed everything in Dusk Golem’s leak. Masachika Kawata only mentioned the online game component, so the other details such as it being a multiplayer remain unconfirmed.Still, it’s fascinating to think that Resident Evil Requiem was, at one point, being developed as an online game. If the other claims are accurate, its original open-world multiplayer direction would have made it a very different experience. Given that RE9 is an absolute masterpiece, I’m glad the game shifted direction.The post Capcom Confirms Resident Evil Requiem Online Leak Was Real appeared first on VICE.