E3 2017: Talking ‘Resident Evil Vendetta’ & More With Hiroyuki Kobayashi!

This past week at E3, I had the pleasure of talking with Capcom’s Hiroyuki Kobayashi, Producer of Resident Evil 4, 6, and the animated CG films including the upcoming Resident Evil Vendetta. We talk about the differences between making a Resident Evil film versus the games, and what those differences mean for creators.

Geekscape: So, the Resident Evil animated movies have been a little different from the games. What made you guys choose to tell these stories in film instead of a video game format?

Kobayashi: In the video games, the focus is more on playing the games, so you can’t easily develop deeper characters or deeper stories, but in the movie, we’re very happy to be able to show more of the backstory of the three main characters, and the drama among these people.

Geekscape: Which part of the movies has been your favorite part to develop? You talked about being able to develop the characters further, what has been your favorite part?

Kobayashi: For me, I really wanted the movie to be able to tell a story without knowing the background stories of any of the characters, and I think we succeeded in that, and I’m fond of that. We really wanted a good balance of horror and action, and I feel we succeeded on that too.

Geekscape: Exactly where in the Resident Evil timeline does this take place? Is this in between any of the games or does it have its own separate continuity?

Kobayashi: So, this one takes place right after the game Resident Evil 6.

Geekscape: How has it been, making the movie under Sony? Have they been supportive of your ideas and the crew?

Kobayashi: So, this is the third movie that we made with Sony Studios, and we always have a good time making the films; every film has a new story and characters, with different people taking the place of the main characters, and we really enjoy working with each other.

Geekscape: Resident Evil’s  4, 5, and 6 were sort of a middle trilogy before 7 and starting something new. What was your favorite title of that trilogy to develop?

Kobayashi: I, myself, only produced 4 and 6. 4 was kind of challenging because we did a total remodeling of the game. So for me, 4 has more of my thoughts behind it, so it’s more more memorable.

Geekscape: Resident Evil 6 was 5 years ago, do you look back at the game and think you would change anything, or are you happy with what the story ended up as?

Kobayashi: I feel I did the best I could do with 6. I feel the four characters had good, human drama between them.

Geekscape: So, you said that in these animated movies, you enjoy fleshing out the characters and developing them more. Who was your favorite character to expand upon for this movie?

Kobayashi: My favorite character is Leon. The motorcycle scene and the battle scene on top of the building were among my favorite scenes. There is a scene that takes place in a lodge where Rebecca, Chris, and Leon are conversing and those kinds of interactions are those that you can’t do easily in the games, so I’m really happy to show this part of the world.

Geekscape: And the film is getting a limited theatrical release on June 9th, isn’t it? Are you excited to have the film in theaters?

Kobayashi: I didn’t expect it to be released theatrically, so I’m really happy to have heard that news, and I’m very excited about it.

Geekscape: You were also the producer for some of the Devil May Cry games. Is there any chance of seeing the series come back sometime soon? Will Dante return?

Kobayashi: I can’t comment on that, but if you want to see Dante, he’s over at the Marvel vs. Capcom booth right there!

And there you have it! It was a pleasure being able to sit down with Mr. Kobayashi and talk about these films. Resident Evil: Vendetta in select theaters June 19, on Digital June 20 and 4K, Blu-ray and DVD July 18.