Resident Evil Village was announced during Sony’s PS5 reveal broadcast last month after months of leaks and rumors had brought the new Resident Evil entry into the public mindshare. The game is a direct sequel to Resident Evil 7 and even features the Roman numeral VIII within the “VILL” part of the game’s logo, but Capcom doesn’t actually want you to call it Resident Evil 8. Official press releases and media have never mentioned the number eight, with only the cleverly “hidden” Easter egg in the logo design calling attention to it being the eighth numbered game in the franchise. But the game’s producers want you focused on the”Village” part of the title.
In an interview in Weekly Famitsu (as translated by Kotaku), producers Tsuyoshi Kanda and Peter Fabiano were asked about Resident Evil Village excluding the number from its title while still including it within the logo. After all, Resident Evil 7: biohazard also features the Roman numeral VII hidden within its logo, and includes the number as part of the game’s official title. Why not do the same for Resident Evil Village?
Kanda and Fabiano said that the “Village” in Resident Evil Village is “another character,” and the title is meant to put focus and understanding on that. “You could call the actual Village another character in the game, and we did that because we would like players to understand that.” Doubling down on this answer, when asked if the “official abbreviate” for Resident Evil Village was RE8 or Village, they simply said they want players to remember the Village. “There isn’t really an official abbreviation, but we’d just be happy if you remembered Village.”
Notably, we’ve also scoured official sources for any mention of the number “8” in relation to Resident Evil Village, and there’s none to be found. It seems that while the hidden logo numeral is acknowledging that it’s the eighth game and a followup to 7, “officially” Capcom is not referring to it as such, and would like fans to focus on the “Village” part of the title rather than it’s place in a numbered sequence.
If I had to guess too, I’d wager that not putting a number on it makes it a more friendly entry point for new players to the series, especially coming exclusively to next generation. Calling it Resident Evil 8 immediately suggests there are seven other games you missed, while simply calling it Resident Evil Village is more inviting—or at least as inviting as the creepy setting that is “another character in the game” can be. RE Village’s initial trailers have also shown it to be less focused on the “zombies” many associate with the series, leaning more into gothic horror.
So there you have it. Resident Evil 8 is not Resident Evil 8 Village. It’s just Resident Evil Village, and you’d do well to remember that on your trip to this creepy town. Expect more details on the game in August, which is also when Sony is rumored to have another State of Play scheduled to announce even more PS5 games.
