Resident Evil is a legendary series, but its hidden history is almost as fascinating as its main entries. For more than thirty years, Capcom’s franchise has established itself as one of the most influential video game series of all time. Yet behind these iconic titles lies another story—one far less well known: the tale of abandoned prototypes, forgotten spin-offs, canceled projects, failed experiments, and characters the publisher ultimately left behind. And sometimes, it was precisely these failures that paved the way for the series’ greatest successes. If the franchise remains as popular as ever today, it is also because it has never stopped experimenting with new ideas, even at the risk of getting them wrong. Let’s dive into the mysterious corners hidden within the world of Resident Evil.

► The games that never were

Let’s begin our journey with one of the franchise’s most famous games: Resident Evil 1.5, which is often referred to as the phantom game. This name is given to the first prototype of Resident Evil 2, developed after the success of the original game. However, just a few months before its planned release, Capcom decided the project lacked personality and made an incredibly rare decision: nearly 75% of the game was scrapped so development could start almost from scratch.

This early version already featured Leon S. Kennedy, but Claire Redfield did not yet exist. Instead, she was replaced by Elza Walker, a young motorcycle racer with no connection to Chris Redfield. The police station had a more modern design, there were fewer puzzles, and several monsters never made it beyond this stage of development.

For more than twenty years, Resident Evil 1.5 went on to become a true urban legend. The few screenshots published in gaming magazines fueled fans’ imaginations, while dedicated enthusiasts attempted to reconstruct the game from unfinished prototype builds. Ironically, this unfinished title became one of the most famous projects in the entire franchise.

Next, let’s move on to the legendary Resident Evil 4 and its four different lives. If there is one game with an even more turbulent development history, this is it. Before becoming the masterpiece we know today, Capcom envisioned several completely different versions of the game.

One early concept featured Leon exploring a massive gothic castle populated by supernatural creatures. Another introduced a mysterious living fog capable of possessing enemies. A third pushed the action so far that it barely resembled Resident Evil anymore, and it would eventually evolve into Devil May Cry. Rather than discarding all of these ideas, Capcom chose to recycle them into an entirely new franchise. Without the many discarded versions of Resident Evil 4, Dante might never have existed.

The final version, released in 2005 as Resident Evil 4, is widely regarded as one of the greatest video games ever made. With is over-the-shoulder camera, action-focused gameplay, and unforgettable atmosphere revolutionized the industry and cemented its place in gaming history. Sometimes, several false starts are exactly what it takes to create a true revolution.

► Forgotten experiments

Released exclusively for the Game Boy Color in 2001, Resident Evil Gaiden remains one of the most unusual entries in the series. The game combined top-down exploration with battles that took place in a first-person combat window, where players had to strike at precisely the right moment. It was an unconventional mechanic that divided critics even at the time.

Its story, which follows Leon Kennedy aboard a cruise ship overrun by bio-organic creatures, long raised questions about its place in the official timeline. Today, Capcom simply prefers to ignore it. Even so, despite its obvious technical limitations, Gaiden is a clear example of the studio’s determination to bring Resident Evil to virtually every platform available.

Now let’s move on to the franchise’s first-person experiments. When Resident Evil 7 launched in 2017, many players believed Capcom was experimenting with a first-person perspective for the very first time. In reality, the company had already explored the idea nearly twenty years earlier.

Resident Evil Survivor (2000), Survivor 2 (2002), and Dead Aim (2003) all featured first-person gameplay long before Ethan Winters came to be. However, the technical limitations of the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 prevented these titles from achieving their full potential. Stiff animations, simplified environments, and imprecise gunplay quickly earned them a mixed reputation.

Looking back, however, these games now feel like interesting ventures. They prove that Capcom had been thinking for years about new ways to immerse players in horror.

► The game that came out 10 years too early: Outbreak

It’s hard not to feel a certain sense of frustration when replaying Resident Evil Outbreak today. Released in 2004 and 2005 for the PlayStation 2, Outbreak and its sequel already offered online cooperative gameplay in the middle of a zombie-infested Raccoon City. Players took on the roles of ordinary civilians, each with unique abilities, who had to work together to survive the city’s devastating outbreak.

The biggest obstacle was simply the era in which the games were released. In 2004, online console gaming was still in its infancy. Broadband internet connections were uncommon, online servers were limited, and some PlayStation 2 models even required the purchase of an external network adapter. Today, in an age where online co-op games are everywhere, Outbreak is often regarded as one of the most visionary concepts in the entire franchise, and many fans would love to see it receive a modern remake.

► Japanese exclusives and curiosities

In the West, most players are familiar only with the mainline games and a handful of spin-offs. In Japan, however, the story is quite different. Capcom released numerous Resident Evil titles for the mobile phones of the era, including Biohazard Mobile, Biohazard Clan Master, and Biohazard Confidential Report. Other games developed for highly specific platforms also never left Japan.

Today, these titles are nearly impossible to find legally. Many survive only thanks to the archives of dedicated collectors and videos uploaded to the internet. More importantly, they remind us that Resident Evil has always been a much broader franchise than what most players outside Japan have experienced.

► When Resident Evil tried to become a shooter

In the early 2010s, the gaming market was heavily influenced by coop shooters, and Capcom decided to chase the trend. Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City transformed the franchise into a military shooter where multiple factions battled for control of Raccoon City. A few years later, Umbrella Corps and even Resident Evil RE:Verse attempted to establish the series as a competitive online multiplayer experience.

Neither project achieved the success Capcom had hoped for, and even today, their Steam user reviews remain painfully negative. The problem wasn’t simply their quality. Many fans felt that Resident Evil was losing its identity by trying to imitate the biggest trends of the moment.

► Those that deserved better

Not every forgotten Resident Evil game was a bad one. Resident Evil: Deadly Silence for the Nintendo DS is probably the best example. Released to celebrate the franchise’s 10th anniversary, this enhanced version of the original game introduced touchscreen-based puzzles, a local co-op mode, and several quality-of-life improvements. Even today, it remains one of the best ways to experience the original Resident Evil.

The same can be said for Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D on the Nintendo 3DS. Dedicated as a whole to the popular Mercenaries mode, it offered solid gameplay and cooperative multiplayer, but its limited amount of content prevented it from reaching its full potential. It quickly faded into the shadow of the mainline entries.

► Canceled projects

Not every canceled project has gone on to become a legend such as Resident Evil 1.5. Resident Evil Portable disappeared without a trace after being announced by Sony at E3 2009. Other internal concepts, mentioned over the years by various developers, were never officially revealed. Early concepts for Resident Evil Revelations 3 were also abandoned, along with several VR projects.

As with any long-running franchise, countless ideas die before the public ever hears about them. Yet these unseen projects often inspire future games. A gameplay mechanic discarded today could easily become the foundation of a future Resident Evil title.

► Conclusion

Ultimately, the history of Resident Evil is about far more than its legendary main entries. It is also a story of failed bets, unfinished prototypes, canceled projects, and experiments that never found their audience. Yet every one of these forgotten games left its mark on the franchise.

Resident Evil 1.5 paved the way for a masterpiece. The abandoned prototypes of Resident Evil 4 gave birth to Devil May Cry. The Survivor series laid the groundwork for Resident Evil 7. Outbreak recognized the potential of online cooperative gameplay years before the rest of the industry. Even the franchise’s commercial failures taught Capcom valuable lessons about what players truly wanted from Resident Evil.

Perhaps that is the real secret behind Resident Evil’s longevity. Unlike many other franchises, it has never stopped experimenting. Some ideas faded into obscurity, others became timeless classics, but every attempt helped shape one of the greatest video game series in history.

And chances are that, somewhere inside Capcom’s offices, a few forgotten prototypes are still gathering dust: projects that may never see the light of day, yet whose ideas could one day inspire the next great Resident Evil.