Resident Evil Requiem made a return as the final teaser event during Gamescom 2025 Opening Night. Following up Capcom Spotlight June 2025, the RE community witnessed a hint of gameplay while given the backstory about Alyssa Ashcroft before her death. Those who attended the event in Germany participated in a hands-on demo.
Game journalists uploaded their recordings online, with fans speculating about the new monster that will face Alyssa’s daughter, Grace. Within hours, they found the terrorizing Bio Organic Weapon’s (B.O.W) had a few similar features to her mother.
Who is Alyssa Ashcroft?
Alyssa Ashcroft first appeared in Resident Evil for the series’ first multiplayer game, RE Outbreak. In 1998, she was once an investigative reporter in Raccoon City until the t-Virus rapidly spread. Her survivor journey led her to discover that pharmaceutical company, Umbrella, were developing and researching B.O.Ws. Alyssa met a handful of survivors including the amnesiac med student, Yoko Suzuki.
Yoko became a key witness to the reporter’s investigation. In 1996, she was employed as a computer technician for William Birkin’s laboratory, and a test subject for Umbrella. The woman later became a researcher and witnessed a tragic incident. She requested Dr. Greg Mueller to suppress it from her memories. At the end of RE Outbreak: File #2, Yoko reclaimed them as Raccoon City got nuked. She later testified against Umbrella along with another surviving researcher, Linda Baldwin.
It took five years for these three women to bring the truth to light in an ongoing battle known as the Raccoon City Trials. Unfortunately, the courts dismissed their arguments despite their abundant amount of evidence. Her whereabouts resurfaced in Resident Evil 7 with her investigating the South Louisiana kidnappings. The article was published on Jan. 19th, 2016.
What Happened to Alyssa in RE9 Requiem?
Since RE9 Requiem’s announcement, the RE fans have united to piece together RE Outbreak lore to Alyssa Ashcroft’s final investigation. Capcom revealed more information about her death at Gamescom 2025 Opening Night. The game’s second trailer revealed that a group of hooded terrorists have been chasing Alyssa for years based on her reactions and dialogue. After Grace answers the hotel phone, the Wrenwood Hotel loses power.
The reporter grabs two flashlights from under the bed. She instructs her daughter to stay close to her while instinctively readying her gun. The Ashcroft’s later met the manager of the inn, who was then killed by a hooded figure. Alyssa immediately drags Grace to a temporary safe zone. She comforts her with their final hug. The reporter’s final words were:
“Oh, Grace, I promised to explain this all to you one of these days. Grace, please know that you are my hope. Never forget that. I love you.”
Something appears behind and takes Alyssa’s life, scarring Grace for life. Soon, her fears came back to haunt her as Nathan Dempsy of her FBI division assigned her to investigate the Wrenwood Hotel after five murders.
Alyssa Ashcroft May Not Be Dead After All
Capcom provided RE9 Requiem’s hands-on demo at Gamescom 2025 on Aug. 20th. The gameplay featuring Grace’s behavior varies between first-person and third-person perspectives. What caught long-time fans’ attention is the latest B.O.W. The monster appears to be around 10 feet as it walks with an arched back. Its disheveled face reveals its bloody jaw and bulbous white-ish eyes. When the RE community spotted the pale blonde bob on its head, many members speculated that this B.O.W is Alyssa Ashcroft.
Theorists believed that whoever caught the reporter in the Wrenwood Hotel is related to Umbrella. The evidence supporting this hypothesis dates back to 1993. Alyssa first encountered Umbrella’s misdeeds when her co-worker Kurt. The pharmaceutical company operated an illegal drug-testing scheme at a hospital near the Arklay Mountains.
Her memories were later suppressed after her discovery. Then, from 1994 to 1998, she repeatedly encountered Dr. Mueller during her investigations. He was likely responsible for wiping out her memories of the incidents. Until the t-Virus Outbreak, Nikolai Zinoviev assassinated him. In 2003, Alyssa, Yoko, and Linda lost the Raccoon City Trials with court’s ruling their efforts as a “conspiracy.”
Alyssa continued being an investigative reporter despite her reputation. She keeps a gun on her person, afraid that Umbrella is still following her. Her assumed infection could be the result of the corporation keeping her lips shut. This possibility could be debunked by Grace’s reaction to Alyssa’s off-screen death. However, even Resident Evil will find a way to make the dead come back to life through science.
