Former Capcom manager Miguel Corti details RE7’s Last of Us influence and troubled development

Former Capcom manager Miguel Corti explained in a Bluesky thread (the Bluesky social media platform) how Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us shaped Resident Evil 7’s design and detailed the game’s troubled development.

Corti said the original concept for Resident Evil 7 was not a soft reboot but would have continued after Resident Evil 6 with more Leon and Umbrella connections. He explained in his Bluesky thread (the Bluesky social media platform) that early plans for RE7 were less radical than the final game, aiming to build directly on the events of RE6 by bringing back familiar characters and deepening ties to the Umbrella corporation. This approach reflected a desire to capitalize on RE6’s strong sales despite its poor reviews.

The thread details how the idea evolved after a corporate reorganization forced a complete restart. Corti said a major inspiration for early Resident Evil 7 iterations was Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us, as developers sought critical acclaim via a more narrative-focused single-player experience. Corti said they looked to The Last of Us as a model for blending strong storytelling with survival horror gameplay, hoping this would shift the series toward narrative depth.

He noted that while Capcom leadership felt satisfied with RE6’s commercial performance, the development team wanted the game to earn praise like critically acclaimed titles. Corti explained that after Capcom underwent a reorganization, a mandate came down to redo Resident Evil 7 from scratch, leading to a new team, director, and external writer. The thread describes how internal struggles and a lack of direction left the RE7 project stuck in a creative rut.

A corporate shake-up changed the studio’s structure, placing the Resident Evil brand under a single development division and issuing a clear order to abandon all previous work and begin again with fresh personnel. Corti noted that the reorganized team decided to make Resident Evil 7 a first-person shooter, which aligned with gaming trends at the time.

After the reboot mandate, the new leadership settled on a first-person perspective, viewing it as both a bold departure for the series and a fit with popular shooter trends circulating in the market. This decision shaped many design choices, from level layout to player interaction. Corti said that Capcom felt disappointed by Resident Evil 7’s initial sales but later described the game as a top seller for the company.

In his thread, he reflected on the game’s commercial performance, noting an early shortfall followed by stronger long-term results that contributed to Capcom’s revenue. Corti observed that many of Resident Evil 7’s clear flaws were evident during development but were ’roundly ignored’ by the team. He pointed out that despite awareness of problems, the project continued without addressing them, which he later cited as a reason for the game’s shortcomings.

Corti said that many team members attempted to prevent Resident Evil 7 from failing, describing their effort as trying ‘not let it fail without a fight.’ Corti explained that The Last of Us inspired the dynamic between Ethan Winters and his wife Mia, specifically the opening where Joel loses his daughter. He linked the narrative motivation of searching for a presumed‑dead spouse to the emotional drive in Naughty Dog’s game.

Corti said that players had little connection to Mia Winters and that her backstory lacked coherence, which was later addressed by tying her to the Umbrella corporation. He described a narrative fix that linked Mia’s presence to the broader Resident Evil mythology. Corti remarked that some ideas that made it into the final Resident Evil 7 survived despite not making ‘a lick of narrative sense.’ He cited this as a reason the game’s story feels disjointed.

Miguel Corti identified himself as a former senior manager of global production at Capcom when discussing the troubled development of Resident Evil 7. Corti said that early iterations of Resident Evil 7 were influenced by The Last of Us, with a mandate to focus on narrative rather than taking cues from Call of Duty. He contrasted the direction with industry trends at the time, emphasizing the team’s reliance on Naughty Dog’s title for inspiration.

Corti noted that Capcom leadership felt satisfied with Resident Evil 6’s performance, but developers pursued critical acclaim by making Resident Evil 7 more narrative‑driven and lore‑heavy. Corti said that Resident Evil 6 featured convoluted and contrived links to Umbrella and Raccoon City. He used this criticism to explain why the team wanted to avoid similar pitfalls in RE7. Corti said that after many iterations he lost track of the different versions of Resident Evil 7 that they were considering.

Corti explained that following the reorganization, a mandate came down to redo Resident Evil 7 from scratch, resulting in a new development team, director, and an executive producer who was hands‑on. Corti said that Capcom began work on Resident Evil 7 during a period of heightened anti‑Japanese sentiment in the gaming market, when Call of Duty dominated sales. He situated the project’s start within broader industry dynamics that affected reception of Resident Evil 6.

Corti explained that the director wanted to return Resident Evil 7 to its survival‑horror roots, citing Evil Dead (2013) as a major influence, which the use of the name Mia for Ethan’s wife reflects. He connects the tonal intention to a specific film and its character naming.

sold like gangbusters

Miguel Corti, Polygon.com

convoluted & contrived connections to Umbrella and Raccoon City

Miguel Corti, GoNintendo

She's Ethan's wife, not mine.

Miguel Corti, Nintendo Life