Resident Evil 7 is coming to Nintendo Switch in a very bizarre way called Resident Evil 7 Cloud Version. As the name implies, this version of the popular first-person survival horror game is based on a cloud service somehow. Instead of simply porting over the latest Resident Evil game with reduced graphics or frame rate, Capcom has opted for a unique approach that we haven’t really seen yet on the console outside of MMO’s.
Resident Evil 7 Cloud Version was just announced by Capcom for Japan only as of right now, though, it would be insane for it to not come to the West in some form. While MMO’s like Phantasy Star Online 2 Cloud are understandably (but annoyingly) restricted to Japan currently, we suspect that Resident Evil will make its way West in the near future.
How Resident Evil 7 Cloud Version works is that instead of downloading the game in its entirety for offline play anywhere you’d like, you are essentially “streaming” the game for lack of a better term. Because of this, you do not own the game in any way and are instead subscribing to the rights to play it using a constant internet connection.
For Japanese users, owners will be allowed to check out the first 15 minutes of Resident Evil 7 Cloud Version for absolutely free before being prompted to purchase an access pass for 180 days for the price of 2,000 yen or right around $18 USD. The Cloud Version comes with all of the DLC packs that have released since the game’s original launch on PC, PS4, and Xbox One so that price is a bargain but it does come with the caveat that you lose your save file if your account becomes inactive.
If you are reading this and are in the West, there is the slim possibility that Capcom will take a different approach here. None of the cloud-based games have made their way here on Switch just yet, though, that could certainly change with Resident Evil 7 Cloud Version. We suspect that Capcom will wait to make a similar announcement for us at E3 2018 next month. For more on when that potentially happens, make sure to keep an eye here when E3 arrives.