While it only takes one look to know that Resident Evil Requiem is a very violent title, director Koshi Nakanishi says that the intent was not to double down on gratuitous gore. Still, he considers a certain degree of bloodshed necessary for a compelling horror experience, so his team is “pushing itself” to make sure the Japanese version isn’t held back by domestic rating standards.
Unlike some past Capcom titles, Resident Evil Requiem will be releasing in Japan with only one version, rated CERO Z (ages 18 and up). Commenting on this decision in a joined media interview attended by AUTOMATON, Nakanishi said:
“Since the Resident Evil 4 remake, we’ve gone with releasing a CERO Z version only, so this time we’re basically following that same approach. The footage shown at the recent showcase was also entirely from the domestic CERO Z version for Japan.
There are even moments where you might think, ‘Wait, this still counts as CERO Z?’, so I’d say we’re actually pushing ourselves more than people might expect. That said, it’s not that we want to make things gruesome for the sake of it, but when depicting shocking scenes or tense battles, a certain level of that kind of expression is necessary. We also want players to fully experience the direction and presentation without holding anything back.”
Nakanishi’s statement comes in response to a question regarding Leon crushing a zombie’s head in-game, given that Japan’s rating body, CERO, is notoriously strict about such depictions.
For reference, the previous mainline entry in terms of continuity, Resident Evil Village, was released in Japan with separate CERO D and CERO Z versions, with the CERO D version (rated ages 17 and up) toning down gory scenes. The CERO Z version is less censored, bringing it closer to the international version, but it still reduces blood and gore, and removes all decapitations.
While Resident Evil Requiem carries the same CERO Z rating as the less-censored version of Resident Evil Village, it looks like the developers are stretching what is acceptable within Japan’s entertainment rating organization.
Resident Evil Requiem is set to release on February 27, 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows (Steam).
