Resident Evil Veronica producer explains why it deserves a remake and is ‘just as important’ as numbered entries

Producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi explains how Capcom is remaking Code Veronica

“Everybody has asked this question,” says Resident Evil Veronica producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi, when I quiz him on why Capcom decided to drop the ‘Code’ from its latest remake title.

In Capcom ’s golden era, its Resident Evil remakes have been its star players, racking up millions in sales, and plaudits from players and critics alike. However, few were expecting it to turn to Code Veronica, a lesser-known Sega Dreamcast game, for its next big reanimation. And why the name change?

The answer to both of those questions, Hirabayashi says, is that the game’s development team sees Veronica as a far more integral instalment in the Resident Evil series than some historical records might show.

“We respect the original title very deeply. And that goes for all aspects, including the title ‘Code Veronica’,” he tells VGC, following the remake’s reveal at Summer Game Fest . “However, to us, Code Veronica is just as vital and important as a numbered Resident Evil entry. So, the discussion that arose in the development team was, what’s something we can do to communicate that to our audience?”

He explains: “If you think about our recent mainline entries and the titles, you probably noticed a pattern, that they have a one-word subtitle that encapsulates a very important part of the game. So, aligning with that title convention that we’re taking in our recent mainline numbered entries, we followed a similar alignment.”

Veronica’s development team considers the original to be just as important as the series’ numbered instalments. Plot-wise, it’s difficult to disagree: Veronica follows directly on from RE2 and 3, continuing the story of the former’s co-protagonist, Claire Redfield, and her brother Chris from the original game, and contains important story revelations, such as the return of series villain Albert Wesker.

Since Hirabayashi’s team also created the Resident Evil 2 and 4 remakes, Veronica was a natural next project, so that it could continue the storylines of both Leon and Claire, he says.