Capcom wanted to make statement at Summer Game Fest, revealing Resident Evil Veronica, an expansion for Monster Hunter Wilds, and new characters for Street Fighter 6
Keigh3 is still underway, and Geoff Keighley did not disappoint. Summer Game Fest ran for about two hours, and I think there was a bit of everything for everyone. Definitely one of the better Summer Game Fest shows in recent years. I am biased, however, because this show, more than any other, was actually a Capcom showcase in disguise. And as you may or may not know, I am a massive Capcom nerd. I want to highlight what I am most excited about yesterday’s announcements, starting with the very first reveal of Summer Game Fest 2026, Resident Evil Veronica.
Resident Evil Veronica is the long-rumored remake of the PS1 classic, Resident Evil: Code Veronica, from the year 2000. Just like the original, it stars Claire Redfield, who has not been playable in a Resident Evil game since the 2019 Resident Evil 2 remake.
This reimagining of Resident Evil: Code Veronica is looking to preserve the essence of the original: « Resident Evil Veronica is a remake of 2000’s Resident Evil Code: Veronica. This new title preserves the essence of the original game, while introducing modernized gameplay, a reimagined storyline, and vividly detailed graphics. In 2027, madness and intrigue, love and hate all combine to create a chilling new entry in survival horror“ Resident Evil Veronica’s website reads. Storywise, Resident Evil Veronica serves as a direct followup to Resident Evil 2, as we follow Claire on her search for her brother Chris Redfield, three months after the Raccoon City incident.
Call me greedy, but now that I can carefully review the game’s trailer and my hype has settled down a bit, I realize I wanted more out of this reveal. Knowing Resident Evil Veronica exists is nice, but it was one of Capcom’s worst-kept secrets anyway, and personally, I always want a concise idea of how a game plays upon seeing it for the first time. Resident Evil is one of my favorite franchises ever, so while I am looking forward to Resident Evil Veronica, Capcom still needs to sell it to me. It is slated for a 2027 release on all platforms.
In contrast, I think Capcom did great with Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance’s trailer, the massive expansion to Monster Hunter Wilds coming in 2027. It introduces a new locale in The Skybound Eyrie, and we even got to see one of its residents, a strange Bird Wyvern-like creature reminiscent of the Qurupeco. It appears this creature will be expanding upon the pack mechanic introduced in Monster Hunter Wilds, seeing as it flies and attacks in sync with its flock.
Next is a new combat mechanic called Boost Bracer, a contraption strapped to your slinger that spews fire upon activation to enhance attacks temporarily. In a developer message on YouTube, Ascendance director Takuro Hiraoka explains: “With this, we’ve made weapon actions from Wilds even more fun and exhilarating to play. Activating the Boost Bracer will temporarily enhance actions, such as attacks, combos, and mobility, allowing for more versatility in hunts.”
Hiraoka also mentions the addition of “new attacks and combos not related to the Boost Bracer,” which is always great, not that weapons feel lacking in Wilds. When I first saw the Boost Bracer, my mind immediately went to Nero’s sword in Devil May Cry 4 and 5, the Red Queen, which he can “rev up” with the press of a button to enhance his attacks, a mechanic sharing similar visual motifs to the Boost Bracer in Ascendance.
Elder Dragons are set to play a major role in the expansion, with Kushala Daora and Lao-Shan Lung confirmed as returning monsters so far. The latter has not been part of a Monster Hunter game since Generations Ultimate on the 3DS and the Switch, so it will be interesting to see how Capcom plans to make his fight more interesting, since it has aged considerably. That’s all for Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance. I think it looks very promising, yet I hope Capcom does another round of optimization for the Steam version when the expansion releases, because it is simply not there yet.
The last thing I want to discuss is Street Fighter 6’s Year 4 characters. Again, a Capcom Showcase in disguise. This announcement does not come as a surprise, as Capcom made it a habit to reveal Street Fighter 6’s DLC characters at Summer Game Fest. This time, what is really surprising is the lineup on display, which is exclusively composed of newcomers.
Yasmine, a highschooler from the Philippines who fights with a crescent-shaped karambit; former police officer Arjun, who specializes in yogic breathing and “bare-knuckle Yoga techniques,” whatever that means; and Bosch, who has actually been part of Street Fighter 6’s world tour mode and served as a rival to the player character and a disciple to Luke. Last but certainly not least is Tifa from Final Fantasy VII. She is the third guest character to be added to Street Fighter 6, the first two being Terry Bogard and Mai Shiranui from SNK’s fighting game series, Fatal Fury.
This selection of characters has caused quite a stir in the FGC (fighting game community), as nobody expected a newcomer-only season pass. Leaks about Tifa’s inclusion were surfacing a month prior to Summer Game Fest, so if anything, people are more surprised that the characters who had leaked alongside her are absent, those characters being Vega, Hagar, and Gouken.
Personally, I am glad we are finally getting brand-new characters, the last one to ever come out being Aki at the tail end of 2023. It certainly is a bold decision from Capcom, which I believe will bear its fruits in the future, as new characters are the perfect canvas for fresh and innovative gameplay ideas. Tifa is cool, of course, but I am most excited about Yasmine, who, thankfully, is coming out first (August 3, 2026.)
That’s it for my Summer Game Fest experience. A great show, certainly a step above its past iterations (bar 2021, Elden Ring was shown there, you cannot compete with that.) The XBOX Games Showcase is next, and if leaks are anything to go by, we may or may not get a glimpse of Persona’s future there. I will write something about it if it does show up, or if anything else catches my eye. Stay tuned.