Resident Evil Requiem Brings Back Raccoon City and Umbrella After More Than a Decade

Capcom has confirmed that Resident Evil Requiem, launching on February 27, 2026, will finally bring the franchise back to its main narrative. That means a full return to Raccoon City and the lingering influence of the Umbrella Corporation — two pillars of the original games that shaped the survival horror genre. Requiem will mark the series’ 30th anniversary, and for the first time since Resident Evil 6, the story will once again focus on the fallout of the original viral outbreaks and the conspiracies that started it all.

The game’s producer, Masato Kumazawa, explained that this return was a deliberate move after recent titles like Resident Evil 7 and Village went in new directions. While those games found success with the Winters family and a more personal brand of horror, they also stepped away from long-standing storylines that older fans have been waiting to see resolved. Requiem is meant to shift the series back into its larger mythos, reconnecting with major events that started in the 1990s.

“With Resident Evil Requiem, however, we wanted to return to a story that continues the overarching narrative rooted in Raccoon City and the secret machinations of the Umbrella Corporation. As the series celebrates its 30th anniversary, we believe Raccoon City is the most fitting setting.”

And it seems that just recently, they secretly (not really) teased Resident Evil 9 in their greeting to the players in X. For longtime fans, Raccoon City is more than a backdrop — it’s the center of the entire Resident Evil identity. Introduced in the first few games and famously destroyed in Resident Evil 3, the city was home to the outbreak that triggered the global events of the entire series. Many of the franchise’s most iconic characters — Leon Kennedy, Jill Valentine, Claire Redfield — either lived in or were drawn into the chaos of Raccoon’s collapse. Beyond the games, Raccoon City has been central in Resident Evil’s film adaptations too, from the early Paul W.S. Anderson movies to Netflix’s more recent takes.

The city’s ruined, abandoned state has become a kind of horror icon on its own. Visually, it blends corporate dystopia with decaying suburbs, overrun hospitals, and broken police stations. For many players, it defines Resident Evil’s particular style of apocalypse: rooted in bioweapons, paranoia, and urban collapse. Much like how the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games use Chernobyl as a decayed symbol of Soviet-era secrecy, Raccoon City serves as Resident Evil’s cautionary tale about unchecked science and corporate power.

Requiem will not only revisit the setting, but also introduce a new protagonist tied to it. Grace Ashcroft, a journalist and the daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft from Resident Evil Outbreak, will be the lead. This is the first time Capcom has made a direct narrative bridge between Outbreak and a mainline Resident Evil game. Kumazawa described Grace as a more grounded and reactive character, unlike the more experienced fighters of previous games.

“In this title, which aims to focus on horror, we introduce Grace as a new, relatable protagonist, who is unlike previous protagonists Leon or Chris.”

The idea, according to Capcom, is to return to tension and vulnerability. Grace isn’t a trained operative or ex-cop. She’s someone who reacts with fear, someone who’s stepping into a place full of trauma and danger — a design choice meant to amplify the horror tone of the game. Director Koshi Nakanishi added that they considered bringing back Leon as the lead, but felt he wasn’t a good match for the type of horror experience they were building this time.

“We always thought about making Leon the protagonist,” Nakanishi said. But he called Leon a “bad match for horror” gameplay.

This doesn’t necessarily rule out Leon or other returning characters from showing up. Capcom has a habit of teasing legacy heroes as side characters or unlockable content. But Requiem’s core will revolve around Grace, her personal journey, and the ruined legacy of Raccoon City itself. Some fans have speculated that other locations like the Spencer Mansion or remnants of Umbrella’s underground labs might appear, although nothing is confirmed.

Capcom also revealed that early designs for Requiem included online elements and an open world. Those plans were eventually scrapped in favor of a more focused and horror-oriented single-player campaign. Developers admitted that the open-world structure didn’t align with what players wanted from a story like this, and instead chose a more traditional path.

Resident Evil has shifted its tone and structure many times since 1996. From fixed cameras to first-person horror, from co-op action to isolated village stories. With Requiem, it looks like Capcom is ready to go full circle, both narratively and thematically. After years of side paths and spin-offs, the main story is back — and it’s taking players right into the heart of where it all began.