Was it just a simple celebration, or a hidden message for horror fans? 

On April 25th, Capcom celebrated Resident Evil 4 reaching 10 million players globally. Instead of a typical post, they dropped a very clever tease in a short video posted across social media.

In the video, Leon can be seen celebrating in front of a rustic wooden sign that says "Thank you for playing." At first glance, it looks normal — but if you tilt the image sideways, you’ll notice the wooden planks form the Roman numeral "IX," meaning 9. 

And that's not all! Prominent horror leakers like Dusk Golem pointed out that this particular detail doesn't exist in the game’s actual world design. That means Capcom intentionally planted this hint — it wasn’t a coincidence at all.

Adding fuel to the fire, Capcom recently confirmed that Koshi Nakanishi, the director of Resident Evil 7, is leading a new project within the franchise.

When you connect all the dots, it’s clear: Resident Evil 9 is on the way!

Speculations suggest RE9 might continue the deep psychological horror style that RE7 revived but on a bigger and possibly more open-world scale.



Some rumors even hint that the next game could either introduce a brand-new storyline or bring back iconic characters like Jill Valentine or Chris Redfield.

There's no official announcement yet, but with Capcom slowly building hype step by step, many are predicting that the reveal could happen soon — possibly at a major event like Summer Game Fest or Gamescom 2025.

If this teaser really is the beginning of the build-up to Resident Evil 9, we’re likely looking at another major evolution in the survival horror genre, especially after the huge successes of both RE7 and RE4 Remake.

If RE9 is truly coming soon, what are you hoping to see? 
A legendary character’s return? A brand-new terrifying journey? Or a level of psychological horror even deeper than before?