Right about now, I imagine the folks at Capcom are collectively grimacing.
For those not aware, the developer recently suffered a damaging breach of its internal servers by an unknown group, an attack that has resulted in the company’s entire release schedule and roadmap for the immediate future making its way into the public domain. Resident Evil Village is one of several unreleased titles on that list and so extensive have the leaks for next year’s sequel been, that fans not averse to learning things ahead of time now essentially know the whole plot. That being the case, it goes without saying that major spoilers are present from here on out. You’ve been warned.
As you’ve no doubt already gathered by the headline, Chris Redfield’s story arc is the most revelatory of all the leaks, as it finally explains the reason for his actions in Village‘s initial trailer. As many had suspected, the former S.T.A.R.S. member hasn’t betrayed his reputation as a hero and resorted to villainy but rather, is on the hunt for a particularly dangerous bioweapon. Ethan’s wife Mia, who Chris is shown supposedly shooting dead before his very eyes, is in fact a doppelgänger. The real Mia has been captured by central antagonist Miranda, whose aim is to steal the pair’s daughter, herself said to be the reincarnation of Eveline from Resident Evil 7.
While interim events remain undocumented, a summary thread over on ResetEra describes how Chris, following Ethan’s death at the hands of Miranda, grants his friend’s dying wish and becomes the child’s adoptive father. A final time skip then shows Rose standing over her biological dad’s grave in the year 2030, where Chris has retired as a BSAA agent. It’s worth noting, of course, that none of this is confirmed by Capcom just yet, but judging by the obvious authenticity of previous leaks, we’d be hard-pressed to believe any other outcome.
Resident Evil Village is expected to launch in spring 2021 for Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5 and PC.