Resident Evil Requiem Director Sets The Record Straight: 'This Isn't An Open World Game'

Resident Evil Requiem is right around the corner, launching next month on February 27 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, and PC. Ahead of that, Game Informer went hands-on with the horror game for three hours, and you can read that preview here. However, as part of this preview, I interviewed Requiem director Koshi Nakanishi about what I had played. 

I'll be publishing a full Q/A of that interview later today, but curiously, Nakanishi closed out our interview asking to address something I didn't specifically talk about: the game's world and exploration, specifically as it relates to rumors of Requiem being an open world Resident Evil. Nakanishi definitely shut those rumors down. 

"[The development team] did just want to make clear one point," Nakanishi says through an interpreter. "They've seen some speculation of whether there's any open world elements in the game, and they just want to set the record straight that this isn't an open world game."

Welp, that's about as direct as it can get. Nakanishi continues, explaining, "The main concept behind this game is combining the very different gameplay of Grace and Leon into a cohesive package, and having those two gameplays represent the Resident Evil series, and I think when you play the game, you realize that, or you will find as well that the development team picked the best approach to do this." 

For more about the game, read my hands-on preview of Resident Evil Requiem here, and then check out the latest news from the Resident Evil showcase that aired last month. After that, read about Leon's custom Porsche in the game, and then check out the Resident Evil Requiem Nintendo Switch 2 Pro controller. 

Are you happy to hear that Resident Evil Requiem isn't an open world game or bummed? Let us know in the comments below!