Hideki Kamiya, the original director of Resident Evil 2, has reiterated his call for Capcom to introduce a "non-scary" mode in future Resident Evil games, insisting he is entirely serious about the idea. He argues that the studio's horror teams have become desensitised to how frightening their games have become due to increasingly photorealistic visuals, and that a gentler option would let people like himself, who struggle with horror, still enjoy the puzzles and combat.

Kamiya first raised the idea publicly in March 2026 via his studio Clovers Inc., suggesting zombies be made "cute" and blood splatters replaced with cherry blossom petals, alongside upbeat music. He expanded on the request in an August interview with Video Games Chronicle, revealing that he wanted to revisit the Raccoon City Police Department in Resident Evil Requiem but found it too frightening to play through, and that he has privately urged Capcom's RE teams to consider simple tweaks, such as removing blood, softening zombie faces or using brighter lighting, only to be met with disbelief that the games are as scary as he describes.