Resident Evil’s Switch 2 Release Date Strategy Is Flawed

Resident Evil Requiem is releasing on February 27, 2026. I don’t have a problem with that. Capcom’s had some major successes with Q1 launches in the past, and that gives me some time to play Resident Evil catch-up before then.
After the September 2025 Nintendo Direct, however, I do have a problem with Capcom’s overall approach to the release date. Resident Evil Requiem is coming to Switch 2 on its launch day, along with Resident Evil 7 and 8. All the ports are good news for Switch 2 owners, but I can’t help wishing that 7 and 8 were releasing just a little sooner.
RE7 & RE8 Deserve A Chance To Shine
Having one big Resident Evil day on Switch 2 is a fun concept, but in terms of actually playing the games, it doesn’t make much sense. While the hype around Resident Evil Requiem will inherently drum up additional sales for its predecessors, fans and newcomers alike will be looking to play or replay them before Requiem releases.
In theory, I should be the target audience for this release. I have a Switch 2, I’m looking to get more games on the system, and I’m ambitiously planning a franchise playthrough in the coming months. But I’m also planning on hitting Requiem day one, which leaves the Switch 2 versions out of contention.
I’d imagine that some players who don’t currently own the games and would be happy to buy them on Switch 2 will end up never doing so, precisely because of the timing. If you invest in RE7 or RE8 on another platform ahead of Requiem, you’ll be a lot less likely to re-buy it on Switch 2 in the near future.
Two Weeks Before RE9 Could Make All The Difference
Just Enough Time To Catch Up
Capcom doesn’t necessarily need a radical shift in strategy. Even a couple of weeks could make a huge difference. RE7 and RE8 aren’t long games, and that would provide plenty of time to blast through both before moving on to the newest entry.
I might be looking a gift horse in the mouth. It’s great to get these games on Switch 2 at all, and it’s a nice signal that more major third-party support could be on its way. The Resident Evil franchise has a long history on Nintendo systems, and the newest batch of planned releases is the first time in a while that a Nintendo console is getting new mainline entries rather than older back catalog ports or spin-offs.