Resident Evil Requiem Reveals Split in Player Perspectives

• Resident Evil Requiem to launch on February 27, 2026.
• Early demos showed Japanese players favoring third-person and Western players preferring first-person perspectives.
• Capcom fully developed both perspectives, with unique animations, UI, sound, and enemy placement, because most players stick to one mode.

Capcom’s Resident Evil Requiem is shaping up as one of the studio’s most ambitious survival horror titles, offering players the choice between first-person and third-person perspectives. 

As reported by AUTOMATON, early demos showcased a notable cultural divide. At Tokyo Game Show (TGS) 2025, Japanese players strongly favored third-person, while Western audiences at Gamescom 2025 preferred the intensity of first-person. The split highlights how decades of regional gaming habits continue to influence how players approach horror experiences.

Why Players Choose Differently

While talking to Denfaminicogamer, Game Director Koshi Nakanishi explained that Japanese audiences grew up with console-based RPGs and third-person action games, making the over-the-shoulder view more intuitive. Western players, by contrast, are more familiar with first-person shooters like Doom, which influenced how they approach action and horror. “I think those kinds of differences are significant,” he added.

Nakanishi also pointed out that younger Japanese gamers are increasingly drawn to first-person titles such as Minecraft and Apex Legends. This generational shift suggests that the gap between the two regions may gradually narrow.

Reflecting on lessons from Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Nakanishi noted that many players found the first-person viewpoint “too scary.” To address this, Requiem includes a third-person mode allowing players to “step slightly back” and use the on-screen avatar as a buffer during intense moments. 

Building Two Perspectives

Players will be able to switch between perspectives in the settings menu, though not instantly in the middle of action. Producer Masato Kumazawa compared the effort to “developing two separate games in parallel,” as animations, user interface, sound design, and even enemy placement had to be redesigned for each perspective. 

Capcom’s internal research found that players usually stick to one specific mode throughout. This led the team to polish both first and third-person perspectives, adding unique animations, UI changes, and sound design to make each experience complete. 

For example, in third-person, Grace Ashcroft has special animations, like stumbling during chases, to boost horror and give a cinematic "final girl" feel. Some demo builds even carried “recommended” tags for certain encounters, such as advising first-person for stealth sections. Whether this feature will carry into the full game remains uncertain.

What Remains to Be Seen

Capcom has not yet revealed how many players chose each mode at the expos. It has not been shared whether the final game will lock certain sections to one perspective. But by offering both perspectives, Capcom lets players choose their preferred level of immersion and intensity of scares. With its launch scheduled on February 27, 2026, we are yet to see whether one mode will dominate, or both will coexist.