Resident Evil is now officially 30 years old, having launched in Japan on March 22, 1996 for the PlayStation, where it’s known as Biohazard. Capcom marked the milestone yesterday with a message to fans penned by executive producer Jun Takeuchi, who thank fans for their support across three decades while making it clear there’s still plenty more experiences to come.
Takeuchi-san has been with the franchise since the beginning, having served as a character modeller on the original game and more recently worked as executive producer on Resident Evil Requiem, Resident Evil 4 Remake, and Resident Evil Village. He also served as producer on Resident Evil 5. Here’s the full statement:
To our beloved fans of the Resident Evil series,
Today marks the 30th anniversary of Resident Evil.
We want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to fall the fans who have supported us along the way since the release of our first game on March 22nd, 1996.
Last month, we released Resident Evil Requiem. With the return to Raccoon City, the place where it all began, we combined tow hearts of the series — horror and action — and packed them both into one title. And now, Requiem has recorded over six million players around the world. Thank you all so much.
Our team will continue to work hard to bring all of you even more wonderful experiences in the future — and it would be an honor if you continued along with us on that journey.
Thank you again for your support.
So, what’s next? Well, for starters we know that Capcom is working on Resident Evil Requiem post-launch content, which includes a Photo Mode and story DLC. Beyond that, it has been heavily rumoured for nearly two years now that Resident Evil CODE: Veronica and Resident Evil Zero are getting remade, although nothing official has been announced yet.
Happy 30th anniversary, Resident Evil! On a personal note, the original game is actually my favourite game of all time and my all-time favourite Resident Evil title. I can vividly recall playing it in September 1997 for the first time after receiving a copy with my subscription to PlayStation Power magazine in the UK. If you have any memories of the series, be sure to share them below!
[Source – Capcom Resident Evil 30th Anniversary on X]
