Hideki Kamiya wants a cozy Resident Evil game where retired Leon goes fishing and bakes bread

Hideki Kamiya — the director of Resident Evil 2 and the man who later gave us Devil May Cry, Okami, and Bayonetta — has a very specific vision for Leon S. Kennedy's retirement, and it involves a lot less zombie-slaying and a lot more sourdough.

Posting on X in response to a fan asking about a game continuing Leon and Claire's story, Kamiya laid out his dream project in detail: retired Leon fishing in the countryside, foraging for wild vegetables, baking bread, walking the dog, tending a home garden, driving 50 km to the general store, hosting barbecues, fixing the neighborhood grandma's oven, and selling homemade lemonade at the local festival. He then turned around and directly addressed Capcom: "There are a lot of voices out there saying they want something like a Resident Evil that's not scary. So if you have some free time, please consider making it... I want to play it too."

Kamiya has never been shy about his complicated relationship with horror — he recently floated the idea of a non-scary mode for Resident Evil Requiem, the latest entry in the series. He directed the original Resident Evil as a designer and then helmed Resident Evil 2, but has spent most of his career elsewhere. He's currently at his own studio, Clovers, working on a sequel to Okami — announced at The Game Awards 2024 — so any Resident Evil cozy spinoff would have to come from Capcom itself. As for what Capcom is actually planning, the studio has confirmed a story expansion for Resident Evil Requiem is in development, and a remake of Resident Evil: Code Veronica is slated for PC and consoles in 2027.

The idea has obvious Stardew Valley energy, and given how well wholesome life-sim games have performed over the past several years, it's not as far-fetched a pitch as it sounds. Whether Capcom takes the nudge seriously remains to be seen, but Kamiya's post landed with enough traction that the conversation is clearly resonating beyond just one nostalgic director's daydream.