[Spoiler] Players Theorize: Why Are There Still Zombies Left in Raccoon City in Resident Evil Requiem?
Note: The following article contains major story spoilers for Resident Evil Requiem that may affect the experience of a first playthrough.
It has been a month since the release of Resident Evil Requiem, a highly anticipated installment that has captivated fans by taking us back to Raccoon City. This iconic location from the original trilogy suffered a tragic viral outbreak in 1998, ultimately leading to the city’s destruction via a missile strike. However, during the second half of the game, players encounter a significant number of zombies that they must fight within the city ruins, even though nearly thirty years have passed.
The popular fan account “Resident Bio Evil,” known for sharing interesting lore from the game’s universe, revealed that there is actually a clear explanation for why large groups of zombies remain. They break down the explanation into different sections.
First, the zombies located in the areas directly hit by the missiles in the city center—specifically around the R.P.D. police station—were killed by the blast and decayed over time. Even if any survived, they were left with no prey to feed on, leaving them in terrible condition. This is because they were infected with the original 1998 virus strain.
Next are the incredibly brutal zombies we encounter later, which are capable of wielding chainsaws and weapons against us. These enemies are infected with a newly developed virus strain that was released to re-infect the area after the missile strike. Because the missiles did not obliterate every single spot in the city, some zombies were unaffected by the blast. According to explicit in-game document files, this new strain grants enough immunity to prevent their bodies from decaying as heavily as the initial 1998 strain. These specific zombies are found in the eastern part of the city, where several buildings remain intact. If you compare this area to the police station, the number of zombies there is very small, counting only in the single digits.
As for the question of when the virus was released again, the answer ties back to the ending of the Resident Evil Outbreak series, where a research facility was established right in the middle of the crater. Scientists stated that “no humans are living here,” but that did not mean the test subjects and zombies died as well. This aligns perfectly with a document file written in 2000, two years after the city’s destruction. Therefore, it can be deduced that the group known as “The Connections”—aiming to preserve research data and steal from other experimental facilities—has been secretly operating behind the scenes for a quarter of a century.
About Resident Evil Requiem
The latest survival horror sequel tells the story of Grace Ashcroft, the daughter of Alyssa, the tough female journalist who survived the T-Virus outbreak in 1998. One day, her mother is mysteriously murdered, and Grace must travel to the site of her nightmarish memories to uncover the truth. Furthermore, her journey might be deeply connected to the forgotten past of the ruined city.
The game is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. It offers a thrilling and hair-raising experience powered by the advanced RE Engine, developed specifically for next-gen devices to deliver highly realistic characters, scenarios, and storytelling as the official ninth mainline game.
Easily purchase Resident Evil Requiem here at a cheaper price than Steam for a chance to win a keychain: [Pre-order Link]
