Shinji Mikami Is Open to Direct Resident Evil 8

Legendary developer Shinji Mikami is mostly known for transforming the industry in the 90s when he created the Resident Evil series. Now, years after exiting Capcom in not the best of terms, Mikami seems open to the idea of returning to the company to direct another main entry of his creation, as he has confirmed this weekend at Quakecon.

Taking part in a panel about The Evil Within 2, his current project, Mikami was asked by a fan whether he would be open to the idea of developing Resident Evil 8 as long as Capcom allowed him to retain total creative control over the project. Mikami’s answer? “I might.” It’s only two words, but they are enough to say everything that needs to be said on the matter at this point. Besides, considering that he was asked about working with Capcom at a Bethesda event, keeping the answer short was definitely the most polite move.

Mikami famously exited Capcom over a dispute about the company’s handling of the release of Resident Evil 4, the last entry directed by him. Mikami wanted the game to remain a Gamecube exclusive, but Capcom decided to port it to the PS2. Since then, Mikami has directed games like Vanquish or the original The Evil Within, although he is just taking a producer role on the sequel. This same month Mikami dedicated some very kind words for Resident Evil 7, saying it was a game that was “crafted beautifully,” which certainly seems like a sign that he approves of Capcom’s new direction with the franchise.