In mid-2024, rumors emerged that Capcom was working on a remake ofResident Evil Zero, the 2002 survival horror game that served as a prequel to the first installment in theResident Evilfranchise. The first person to report on the matter was the well-known insider Dusk Golem, who alleged that the unannounced title had begun production following the launch of the 2023Resident Evil 4remake and was being developed alongside a new version of 2000’sResident Evil - Code: Veronica. Although these claims were initially met with some skepticism, they were backed up by IGN in a later news article, which purported thatResident Evil ZeroandCode Veronicaremakes were indeed in the works.
No further information was shared about these rumoredResident Evilgames until earlier this week, when Dusk Golem discussed his predictions for the future of the Capcom franchise in a thread on Twitter. Commenting on the recent reports, Dusk Golem stated that the prospect ofNintendo acquiring the marketing rightsfor the as-of-yet-unannouncedResident Evil Zeroremake was “highly likely.” The insider noted that this claim of his was just “educated speculation,” but it still caught the attention of the widerResident Evilcommunity. If this “speculation” does become true, then this wouldn’t be the first time Nintendo has had a partnership with Capcom, since the two companies had famously collaborated during the GameCube generation.
Nintendo Has Collaborated With Capcom on Resident Evil Games Before
Despite Being Associated With PlayStation, Resident Evil Was Once Exclusive to Nintendo Consoles
Although it’s often had a presence on Nintendo consoles, theResident Evilfranchise has historically not been associated with Nintendo. Instead,it’s usually been considered a PlayStation seriesby mainstream audiences, largely because its early entries were launched exclusively on PS consoles. Even though the franchise has been available on various platforms for several years, most of the recentResident Evilgames have still been announced and marketed by PlayStation. This, however, wasn’t always the case.
In the early 2000s, several installments in theResident Evilfranchisereleased exclusively on the GameCube, Nintendo’s current home console at the time. These not only includedResident Evil ZeroandResident Evil(2002), but the universally-acclaimedResident Evil 4, as well.RE4, in particular, was part of the Capcom Five, a collection of Capcom-published titles that were intended to be exclusive to the GameCube console. The Capcom Five was the product of a budding partnership between Capcom and Nintendo, which was seeking to improve relations with third-party publishers to boost sales of the struggling GameCube.
In addition toResident Evil 4, the Capcom Five included a handful of other games, namelyP.N.03,Dead Phoenix,Viewtiful Joe, andKiller7. Out of these five games, only four of them ever saw the light of day, sinceDead Phoenixwas canceled shortly after its announcement. The majority of the other titles, meanwhile, did not end up being permanent GameCube exclusives, in part due to their underwhelming commercial performance on Nintendo’s console.Resident Evil 4andViewtiful Joewere ported to PlayStation 2less than a year after their North American GameCube debuts, whileKiller7received a simultaneous release on the PS2.P.N.03was the only Capcom Five game that actually remained exclusive to Nintendo platforms.
Capcom USA initially stated that the Capcom Five would only be available on the GameCube, but it later claimed that justResident Evil 4would be exclusive to the console. This did not end up being the case.
Nintendo’s Relationship With Capcom is Great Nowadays, So a RE:0 Remake Collab Doesn’t Seem Unlikely
Because the Capcom Five deal didn’t exactly turn out the way Nintendo wanted it to, its relationship with Capcom became strained, which thus exacerbated the challenges the company was facing with the GameCube at the time. Fortunately, though, Nintendo is now in a much better position, thanks tothe record-breaking success of the Switchand the upcoming launch of its highly-anticipated next-generation console. Taking these factors into account, it wouldn’t be too surprising if the rumor that Nintendo has the marketing rights to theResident Evil Zeroremake turns out to be true. Even though the game would probably not be exclusive to Nintendo platforms like the Capcom Five titles were meant to be, such a partnership would be emblematic of Nintendo’s improving relations with developers like Capcom.
Resident Evil Zero
WHERE TO PLAY
Be prepared to relive the first nightmare in Resident Evil 0, a remastered version of the popular prequel to the original Resident Evil game. This remastered version takes the fear-inducing atmosphere from the original 2002 release and transforms it with stunning new HD visuals, improved sound, widescreen support and an optional modernized control system and more. It’s the best way to experience the story of what really happened before the iconic mansion incident that was the catalyst for the entire Resident Evil saga.The story of Resident Evil 0 takes players back to 1998. Reports have been mounting about unusual murders on the outskirts of Raccoon City. The city’s Special Forces division, S.T.A.R.S., sends their Bravo Team - including rookie cop member Rebecca Chambers - to investigate. On route, the team’s helicopter suffers engine trouble and is forced to make a crash landing, where they find an overturned prisoner transport vehicle. Splitting up to search the area, Rebecca discovers the Ecliptic Express, a train stopped dead on the tracks. Inside, she meets death row convict and ex-Navy lieutenant Billy Coen. Throughout the game, you will take control of both Rebecca and Billy, at times switching between both characters in order to proceed. Learning the advantages of each character is the key to solving puzzles and surviving the nightmares that lie ahead.
