is barely out of its coffin and already we have rumours circulating about a new game in the franchise appearing in 2021. Exciting thoughts, to be sure, but that’s not all. Apparently, the upcoming game is going to be very, very different.

Before we go diving headfirst into that rumour pool, be aware that this news comes from Twitter user AestheticGamer, who has a history of talking about , with their predictions backing up the headlines at the start of the year talking about werewolves in the new game, among other things. With that in mind, it should all still be taken with a heaping pile of salt. So as long as we’re all on board with that, let’s get down to business.

In a Twitter thread (via GamesRadar), AestheticGamer notes that the next Resi game started production way back in 2016, meaning it will have been in development for over 4 years by time of release, though it’s not clear if it’s been in active development for this time, or whether work was slowed or halted to get the and remakes out.

The tweet goes on to say that “development is very similar to the original , not the remake” and crucially, more news about it will be coming soon. Was this something Capcom had planned to announce at this year’s E3? Time will tell, but if it announced soon, it might be that more of these details hold weight.

As the headline of this article suggests, whatever this game is ( or something entirely new) it’s apparently going to divide fans in being “by far the biggest departure the series has ever taken.” In fact, AestheticGamer warns that a lot of people are “going to be pissed when it gets revealed” but that people should give it the benefit of the doubt, as “internal testing and the like show it’s a high quality game.”

Of course this wouldn’t be the first time mainline Resident Evil games have done something a little different. took the fixed camera perspective of the first three games and shot its head off, opting instead for an over-the-shoulder view point, and did away completely with zombies for a first person, haunted house vibe. Both were excellent games.

Whatever it ends up being, and however fans react, it’s worth remembering that Capcom have been on a run of good form lately, including with the remake, which we scored 8/10, so it’s worth giving them the benefit of the doubt whatever comes shambling out from behind their red curtain of mystery.