Summary
- Resident Evil 9 must carefully handle villain marketing to avoid controversy like with Lady Dimitrescu in Village.
- Capcom needs to showcase all villains equally in trailers to set proper expectations for Resident Evil 9's story.
- The franchise's long history of excellent villains puts pressure on Resident Evil 9 to deliver something new.
The Resident Evil franchise has had more than its fair share of excellent villains over the years. Resident Evil's villains have come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from silent-but-deadly foes like Mr. X and Nemesis, to more talkative adversaries like the lovably evil Albert Wesker. At their worst, these villains have always done a solid job of driving Resident Evil's story and action forward, and at their best, they've delivered some of the most memorable sequences in franchise history.
Being the ninth mainline entry and the 31st game in the Resident Evil franchise, there's a lot of pressure on Resident Evil 9's shoulders to offer something fans have never seen before. Naturally, a lot of that pressure will fall on the game's villain, and regardless of what creature or entity it ends up being, Capcom needs to ensure that its pre-release marketing doesn't go the same way as Resident Evil Village's.
Resident Evil Bringing Back One Character Would Be a Nice Full-Circle Moment
The Resident Evil boasts a strong cast of characters beyond its main protagonists, and one's story is worth exploring further in future entries.
Resident Evil 9 Can't Repeat Village's Marketing Mistakes
Resident Evil Village's Marketing Caused a Lady Dimitrescu Controversy
Resident Evil Village's announcement trailer was released back in June 2020, and it was probably the most representative trailer Capcom released for the game. This initial trailer gave players an extended tease of Village's shocking Chris Redfield intro sequence, along with brief looks at all of the game's primary villains. Of course, Alcina Dimitrescu made her debut in this initial trailer, and it didn't take long for her to steal the show.
A gigantic 9-foot-tall vampire with some absurd body proportions, Lady Alcina Dimitrescu became a viral hit pretty much right away. Though it took a little while for Capcom to catch on, it eventually started to lean into this viral sensation more for Resident Evil Village's marketing. The January 2021 Resident Evil Village trailer is the perfect example of this, focusing most of its almost 3-minute runtime on Lady Dimitrescu, her vampiric daughters, and their ancient castle abode.
Though Heisenberg made some more prominent appearances in Resident Evil Village's April 2021 trailer, Lady Dimitrescu still takes up a good portion of its runtime. Capcom putting Lady Dimitrescu at the center of much of Resident Evil Village's pre-release marketing ended up giving fans the expectation that she'd play a prominent role in Village's story. While that's true, Lady Dimitrescu is killed just a few hours into the game, with Castle Dimitrescu being the first major area players explore, and Lady D. Being the first boss they defeat. Though her time on-screen is incredibly impactful, many fans felt as though Lady Dimitrescu met her fate too soon, and Capcom's marketing didn't deter those lofty expectations.
Resident Evil 9 Needs to Handle Its Villain Marketing Carefully
When it finally comes time to announce Resident Evil 9 and reveal its villain(s) in all their glory, Capcom needs to keep Lady Dimitrescu in mind. To avoid a similar controversy, Resident Evil 9 needs to follow one of two routes. If Resident Evil 9 features just one villain, then it can feel free to put them front and center in any of the game's pre-release trailers and posters. But if Resident Evil 9 features a larger cast like RE7 and Village did, then it should try to give each villain its own time to shine, whether that's through separate character spotlights, or equal screen time in each trailer.
Resident Evil Village
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 84 /100 Critics Rec: 92%
WHERE TO PLAY
Experience survival horror like never before in the eighth major installment in the storied Resident Evil franchise - Resident Evil Village.
Set a few years after the horrifying events in the critically acclaimed Resident Evil 7 biohazard, the all-new storyline begins with Ethan Winters and his wife Mia living peacefully in a new location, free from their past nightmares. Just as they are building their new life together, tragedy befalls them once again.
First-Person Action – Players will assume the role of Ethan Winters and experience every up-close battle and terrifying pursuit through a first-person perspective.
Familiar Faces and New Foes – Chris Redfield has typically been a hero in the Resident Evil series, but his appearance in Resident Evil Village seemingly shrouds him in sinister motives. A host of new adversaries inhabiting the village will relentlessly hunt Ethan and hinder his every move as he attempts to make sense of the new nightmare he finds himself in.
- Engine
- RE Engine
- Franchise
- Resident Evil
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PlayStation VR2, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC, iOS
- How Long To Beat
- 10 Hours
