At Summer Game Fest (SGF) 2026, we got a behind-the-scenes look at two major upcoming titles from Capcom: Onimusha: Way of the Sword and Resident Evil Veronica.
Capcom’s private press showing opened with a special recap video of the events of the Mansion Incident and the Raccoon City Incident from Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2, and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, respectfully, which all lead up to Claire’s story in Resident Evil — Code: Veronica. As announced during the opening showcase of SGF, Capcom is remaking Code: Veronica as just Resident Evil Veronica, which is exciting for fans of one of the most loved — and perhaps underrated — entries in the series. But for people who either weren’t around 26 years ago when the game first launched on Sega Dreamcast or never got to play it on PlayStation 2 or GameCube, the game’s story and where it fits in the overall Resident Evil timeline might be unclear. So Capcom provided a little refresher to get everyone up to date.
Unfortunately, however, no gameplay of the upcoming remake was shown during this video or at all during the press event. Series producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi flew out from Japan to be here for SGF to host a 20-minute Q&A session with attendees following the video.
The crowd was of course focused on whatever Hirabayashi could or was willing to divulge about the remake, though he was, unsurprisingly, unable to reveal much. The game is in very early stages of development so there isn’t a lot to discuss at this point anyway, but what little is available to talk about, he was careful to eke out. He was asked if the remake will add anything new to the lore of the original Code: Veronica game, to which he essentially replied with “probably,” in the way that it was handled in the Resident Evil 2 and 4 remakes.
While he didn’t directly answer the question of what key elements from the original game he was excited to revisit in the remake, he did say that the development team — which is the same team that worked on the aforementioned remakes — generally identifies which elements were vital to the original and which could be added to create a fresh experience. He said to expect them to handle the Code: Veronica remake in the same way. One thing he did answer directly is that this remake will be a third-person game — no switching between first- and third-person perspectives.
Hirabayashi was also tight-lipped about how Claire’s combat might be changed in this new version of the game, but said that “her moves will reflect where she’s at in her life post Resident Evil 2 and 3.” Code: Veronica takes place exactly three months after the events of Resident Evil 2 and 3, meaning she’s more than capable of handling herself, but also isn’t a jaded, hardcore fighter. Stepping back a bit, this could mean that she may show some fear and vulnerability similar to how Grace was portrayed in Resident Evil Requiem, which would provide a contrast to the sharp skills and professional training of her brother, Chris, who is the other playable character in Code: Veronica.
On the subject of why Capcom chose to prioritize the other remakes before turning to Code: Veronica, Hirabayashi said that it seemed natural to first focus on Leon’s story before moving on to Claire’s, which is a natural transition given where her story falls in the overarching Resident Evil timeline. And if any of you reading this played the original Code: Veronica and had strong feelings about Steve, whether positive or negative, just know that as of right now, Hirabayashi can neither confirm nor deny whether he’ll be back in the remake. But Hirabayashi did say that they’ve used these remakes as an opportunity to revisit fleshing out characters, so if you just really couldn’t stand the guy as he was written originally, there’s a chance that he’ll be improved this time around. Or not.
Our editor-in-chief, Robert, had the chance to ask Hirabayashi why they chose to name this remake simply Resident Evil Veronica, and whether Capcom is taking it as an opportunity to use the V as a double-meaning for “five.” Hirabayashi strongly emphasized that the V will not stand for five, and that having a single word focus in the title gives the game more significance.
And in terms of significance, Hirabayashi was also asked why Resident Evil continues to endure as strongly as it does as a franchise, especially given all of the other horror franchises that have cropped up over the decades. He attributed the series’ success to the loyalty of its fans, but also to how well the games balance feelings of stress and catharsis from overcoming challenges, as well as the strength and popularity of the games’ characters.
The announcement of the Code: Veronica remake may have some Nintendo players and GameCube owners looking into picking up a copy of the original release on GameCube — and balking at the eye-watering aftermarket price. This is something I’ve become aware of in recent months, so I asked Hirabayashi if there are any plans to release the game on Nintendo Switch Online (NSO), given that 1.) the game is available to purchase on PlayStation and Xbox storefronts, and 2.) Nintendo fans who want to experience the original may not have a GameCube and $250 to spend on a used copy. Unfortunately, he answered pretty simply and straightforward: no, there are no plans to release the game on NSO. That doesn’t mean there won’t be, necessarily, but don’t go getting your hopes up for it.
The end of the Resident Evil Veronica Q&A session ushered in the start of the Onimusha: Way of the Sword live gameplay demo. A Capcom employee provided commentary as one of the devs worked through a part of the game in which Musashi has to to clear a village and kabuki stage of corruption caused by the Genma demon army that has invaded 17th-century Kyoto.
Visually, the game is beautiful, with crisp graphics during gameplay that remained sharp during combat. The demo was shown in English, and the characters’ mouths didn’t match the words being spoken, so I’m not sure if they match the audio when the game is played in Japanese or if this simply wasn’t much of a focus for the dev team. The English voice acting was fine, nothing super impressive but also not terrible.
Musashi is lethal, and it was clear the guy piloting the demo wanted to show off not only his own skills, but some of the cool evasive maneuvers and sheer strength of Musashi’s swordplay. He has an Oni Gauntlet, which can absorb red and blue spirits that enemies drop upon their deaths to power different abilities. However, it’s recommended that you don’t leave them behind, otherwise your enemies can use them against you, which I thought was pretty cool. Both Musashi and his enemies have two separate health and stamina meters, and when Musashi attacks an enemy enough to empty their stamina meter, he can deliver devastating blows.
This was most pronounced during a couple of boss fights we were shown; after draining their stamina meters, Musashi was able to choose which parts of their body to target with a major attack that drained a third of their health. He has other cool abilities, like wall running and being able to fight and reflect attacks while doing so, or strong attacks that he can deliver with the use of his Oni Armaments.
Boss fights were brutal and the enemies were unrelenting. Even the guy doing the demo had to try and give himself enough breathing room at one point because the boss he was fighting was so aggressive. It’s clear that this game is looking to deliver a challenge.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword releases on September 25, 2026.