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Former Capcom manager Miguel Corti recently shared insights into the tumultuous development of Resident Evil 7. Initially, the project was not intended as a soft reboot but was planned to continue the narrative of Resident Evil 6, featuring characters like Leon Kennedy, Rebecca Chambers, and Jill Valentine. The team aimed to emulate the critical success of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us by shifting toward a more narrative-focused experience.
Following a corporate reorganization, the project was restarted from scratch. The new iteration adopted a first-person perspective to align with industry trends and introduced the Baker family within a single-house setting. Corti notes that several elements were included despite lacking narrative cohesion, contributing to what he views as the game's fragmented story.
Corti highlights that the dynamic between protagonist Ethan and his wife Mia was inspired by the opening of The Last of Us. However, he argues that the character of Mia suffered from a lack of player connection and an illogical backstory, which developers attempted to fix by retroactively linking her to the Umbrella Corporation.
Although the final product eventually became a top seller for Capcom, initial sales were disappointing. Corti reveals that many development flaws were recognized by team members at the time but were ultimately ignored during the production process.
