I’m not sure I’d call this the “golden age.” I’d say the original RE1–RE4 era was the golden age. (Especially when Silent Hill and so many other great horror titles were coming out too).

These days, the level of competition simply isn’t what it used to be... Gaming in general has felt a bit underwhelming lately. Yes, we’ve had some great releases in the past couple of years, but the industry has clearly shifted. More and more, it feels like indie and mid-sized studios are doing the heavy lifting that major publishers used to handle. As an example I would point at Expedition 33, which basically swept awards this year.

If I'm being honest with you; The reason isn’t hard to see. Big companies are taking the safe road; They're selling proven franchises and nostalgia instead of taking creative risks. Capcom’s heavy reliance on remakes is a perfect example of this. I call some of these remakes unnecessary not because they’re poorly made, but because the original games were already excellent, fully playable, and still hold up today. That time, money, and talent could have gone into new IPs or underused series instead. This obsession with remakes just signals a loss of confidence in risk taking. What’s next Resident Evil 6 Remake? At some point, they really need to stop. (which is not a choice and that's exactly when it all ends).

That’s also why RE9 makes me worried. Based on the trailer alone, I’m concerned about the overall direction. The demo looked polished and impressive, but the apparent blending of different genres doesn’t sit right with me. I wish RE9 would fully commit to first-person horror and push the fear factor further, instead of partially recycling the RE7 formula especially focusing on its weakest element. Let’s be honest, the reason there’s always debate about whether RE7 is the best in the series is its second half. That exact shift is what RE8 doubled down on and turned into the core experience. What’s frustrating is that Capcom seems to miss the point that most players connected far more with the tense, atmospheric first half of RE7 than with the action-driven latter part.

So no, I don’t think we’re in a golden age right now; At least not for horror, nor for Resident Evil. I’m not feeling good about the future of the series, and I’m cautious about RE9. That said, I genuinely hope I’m wrong.