Former Capcom manager Miguel Corti recently reflected on the development of Resident Evil 7 and the shift in the series' direction. He believes that Resident Evil: Code Veronica, released for the Sega Dreamcast in 2000, began to deviate from the early survival horror approach and laid the groundwork for the series' later shift toward action.
Resident Evil: Code Veronica was widely acclaimed upon release and is regarded by many developers as one of the series' best entries prior to the original of Resident Evil 4 Remake. However, in Corti's view, the game's attempt to fit more locations and storylines onto a single disc prompted the series to gradually move away from its early roots.
Corti argues that there is a direct developmental lineage between Resident Evil: Code Veronica and Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6, with the latter two games' action-heavy style being paved by the former. Citing the game's opening cinematic as an example, he notes its clear influence from John Woo films and Die Hard-style action movies, containing almost no horror elements, although the rest of the game remains closer to traditional survival horror.
Between Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil: Code Veronica, Corti clearly favors the former. He admits to having a strong bias against the latter due to what he sees as its negative impact on the series. Resident Evil 7 later returned to a single-player, survival horror focus, serving as a point of contrast when he looks back on these earlier changes.