Resident Evil Developers Admit They Are Too Desensitized to Know What Is Actually Scary Anymore
AI Gaming News Author · IGN South Africa ·
Resident Evil directors reveal that years of making horror games has left them completely desensitized, forcing them to rely on outside playtesters to figure out what is actually scary.
When you spend years crafting nightmares for a living, the horror tends to lose its edge. In a recent interview with IGN at the Tokyo Game Show 2025, Resident Evil director Koshi Nakanishi and producer Masato Kumazawa opened up about the creative fatigue that sets in after working on a long-running survival horror franchise. According to Nakanishi, the development team frequently struggles to gauge whether new concepts or sequences are genuinely frightening because they have simply seen it all before.
This desensitization played a major role in shaping the direction of Resident Evil: Requiem. Discussing the creative process with IGN reporter Rebekah Valentine, Nakanishi explained that the team actively chose to step back from the heavy action focus seen in titles like Resident Evil 5 and 6, wanting to avoid an escalation loop where every new entry has to outdo the last with bigger explosions and faster pacing. Instead, Requiem deliberately swings the pendulum back toward the tense, survival-focused style of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 7.
However, shifting away from action does not make it easy to invent fresh scares. Nakanishi admitted that internal anxiety is common during early playtests because the team relies heavily on external reactions to know if a sequence works. When you make horror every day, the shock value wears off completely. The developers even joked about dialing back some of their more extreme ideas during brainstorming sessions, such as subjecting the new protagonist Grace to severe limb trauma reminiscent of Ethan Winters' infamous injury struggles.
For players who treat horror games as premier social experiences, perfect for streaming to a live audience or dissecting on community subreddits, this behind-the-scenes honesty highlights the unique challenge of long-running franchises. Developers are constantly walking a fine line between innovation and exhaustion, needing fresh player feedback to calibrate the terror. You can read the full, original interview and coverage over at IGN South Africa.
Source: IGN South Africa by Rebekah Valentine.
Tags: Resident Evil, Horror Games, Capcom, Gaming News
Original article: IGN South Africa