Director Johannes Roberts made it clear in an interview with IGN that Welcome to Raccoon City is a reboot of the films. Roberts even stated that the movie takes more cues from the 2019 remake of Resident Evil 2 than it does the Anderson movies.

"It's a totally separate story that is based on the roots of the game and the world of terror," Roberts told IGN. "I fell in love with Milla Jovovich,, that first film is a lot of fun ... but it was a real pleasure to get the reins of a new franchise.