Resident Evil 7 won't have 'quick time events'

Capcom is shaking things up for the next entry in the Resident Evil franchise. Resident Evil 7 biohazard, Capcom announced last week, will be a first-person, stripped-down survival horror game that does away with the explosive action direction that previous games took.

It also won't feature any "quick time events," those button-mashing, stick-waggling action moments introduced in Resident Evil 4.

In an interview posted to the Capcom Unity blog, Resident Evil 7 producer Masachika Kawata confirms QTEs — or as they're referred in Resident Evil games, "action events" — won't be returning.

"There will be no Quick Time Events in Resident Evil 7," Kawata said with a laugh. "I know there are a lot of people who will be relieved to hear that."

While Resident Evil 7 may look like a hard pivot for the franchise, game director Koshi Nakanishi tries to reassure fans that Capcom isn't throwing everything that fans love about Resident Evil out.

"I've seen from initial reactions of what we've put out that people are getting the impression that we've taken Resident Evil and turned it into some sort of supernatural, occult, ghost story," Nakanishi said. "I think you can look at the trailer or the demo and get that impression, but don't worry, we haven't just thrown out Resident Evil as it exists and turned it into a ghost story. It will all make sense in the end.

"I know it's frustrating holding back on what we can show fans, but this is really the best way to let you enjoy the game to the fullest when it finally comes out. We just have a trailer and a demo at this moment, but watch this space in the coming months and we hope you look forward to the game. We're going to do our best to make the best game we can."

Resident Evil 7 biohazard is bound for PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One on Jan. 24, 2017. The game is confirmed to be fully playable on PlayStation VR.