Capcom announced that it will collaborate with kawaii metal band Babymetal in 2026, in celebration of the horror video game Resident Evil’s 30th anniversary.
The announcement was made at the end of Babymetal’s Los Angeles concert at Intuit Dome, where the band became the first ever Japanese group to hold a solo show at the venue. Following the end of the performance, the concert screens switched to a special message from Resident Evil’s Lady Dimitrescu.
A Message From Lady Dimitrescu
“It’s almost Resident Evil’s 30th anniversary, and to celebrate, Resident Evil and Babymetal will be releasing collaborative goods. You can get your grubby little hands on some [merchandise],” revealed the popular character in the teaser.
The video contained some quick artwork flashes, presumably peeks of the upcoming exclusive merchandise designs. Capcom has not yet revealed any more information regarding what kind of products will be released with this special collaboration, but the collection is set to be released some time in 2026.
The video game studio has created a dedicated website for Resident Evil’s 30th anniversary where fans can check on news and updates. Resident Evil: Requiem, the ninth installment of the main Resident Evil series, is also set to be released in February 2026.
A Global Horror Legacy
Resident Evil, known as Biohazard in Japan, premiered in 1996 with its PlayStation title created by Shinji Mikami and Tokuro Fujiwara. The franchise is credited for pioneering the survival horror genre, and it has developed into Capcom’s best-selling franchise with over 174 million copies sold worldwide as of March 2025.
The original game and several of its sequels center around the fictional American town of Raccoon City — which has become infested with flesh-eating zombies and other bioterrorism horrors. Its deep storytelling and tense gameplay cemented Resident Evil as a legend and inspired countless gaming developers in Japan and beyond, stirring up other horror classics such as Silent Hill, Alan Wake and Dead Space, to name but a few.
Image by Ben Cooke
With the release of Requiem in 2026, the franchise will have 30 total game releases just in time for its 30th anniversary celebration.
The series has sprouted six live-action films, four animated films, an anime miniseries, a live-action Netflix special, a series of novelizations and comics and a global merchandising empire.
Babymetal concert in London in 2019.
Babymetal’s Impact on Heavy Metal
Babymetal also has an impressive international legacy. With a mission to bridge the seemingly polar opposite ends between kawaii and heavy metal, the group has been praised by some of the biggest names in the music industry, including Lady Gaga and Metallica.
Suzuka Nakamoto, Moa Kikuchi and Momoko Okazaki — known by their stage names of Su-metal, Moametal and Momometal respectively — have performed in over 25 different countries.
The lineup originally included Yui Mizuno as Yuimetal, but the artist left the group in 2018 due to health issues and her spot was filled by Momometal, who was a former member of the idol group Sakura Gakuin. The original members were all around 11 and 12 years old when they joined Babymetal, impressing audiences worldwide with their powerful vocals at such a young age.
The group kicked off another world tour this summer that will extend into 2026. Stops include Mexico City, Copenhagen, Istanbul and more.
