Resident Evil 6.5 (lost early build of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard; 2012-2013)
Before its eventual release in January of 2017, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard underwent many changes throughout its development and allegedly had multiple versions that were all eventually scrapped. One of said versions got pretty far in development and even reached a point where a demo was created but never released to the public.
Discovery
This version of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard wasn't known to have existed until 2 pieces of concept art surfaced online in early February of 2023 thanks to the efforts of infamous Resident Evil leaker "AestheticGamer/Dusk Golem".[1] Dusk Golem revealed quite a bit about this canceled version, including the fact that the 2 images that were leaked were supposed to be concept art pieces for an earlier version of Resident Evil 7. This version was meant to be a continuation of Resident Evil 6, sharing many similarities with it gameplay-wise and tone-wise. This version also starred Leon S. Kennedy and Sherry Birkin as the main protagonists. It was supposed to take place in a fictional city in Europe which was inspired by the city of Venice in Italy aesthetically. The players were meant to encounter water-based enemies and use water-based weapons, with emphasis put on environmental combat. It allegedly had a returning mechanic from Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999) in which at certain points, the game would appear in slow motion and the player had to make a decision in a limited time. Due to the negative reception that Resident Evil 6 received by fans and critics alike, this version would eventually be scrapped in 2013. As stated earlier, a demo was finished but never released. Said demo has yet to surface online.[2]