Capcom may not be quite ready to share an official release date for Resident Evil Village just yet, but it appears as if the anticipated sequel is very close to completion.
If a host of new images leaked online are any indication, in fact, the eighth mainline entry is already in a near-finished (and playable) state, making a rumored early 2021 launch incredibly likely. As pointed out by user SteelGreen03 over on Reddit, a library of screenshots has recently appeared on Imgur, all of which seem to depict various environments and enemies that the player will encounter in Village. The latter, in particular, are of interest due to their obvious Lovecraftian inspirations and potential connection to the Molded as seen in 2017’s Resident Evil 7.
In addition to the above, unfinished models for Chris Redfield as well as a handful of other human-looking characters are included in the asset dump and you can check out the lot for yourself down below.
While none of the these give much away in terms of narrative, it’s worth noting that Chris is shown cradling a baby in one of the images. This is almost certainly Ethan and Mia Winters’ newborn child, though it remains to be seen why the former S.T.A.R.S. officer has taken possession of them, much less the fate of his or her parents. As for the affronts to nature that are Village‘s grossly mutated creatures, many fans have compared their likeness to that of the eldritch horrors seen in FromSoftware’s Bloodborne, and we suspect their origins will form a key part of the game’s story.
Resident Evil Village is scheduled to arrive in spring 2021 for Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5 and PC. Last-gen ports are also a possibility, though we’d suggest not getting your hopes up.