Resident Evil 6 announced, features Chris and Leon as main protagonists (trailer)

Update: Four hours after our initial rumor post went live (see below), Capcom released the Resident Evil 6 reveal trailer, confirming Leon and Chris, as well as a number of new characters.

Occurring 10 years after the events of the original game, Leon’s story is centered around Tall Oaks, a city similar to Raccoon City that succumbs to a T-virus outbreak. Chris’ story takes place in China, while a third storyline revolves around an unidentified new character and Resident Evil 4’s Ashley Graham.

Resident Evil 6 has been given a release date of November 20, 2012.

While it’s highly likely Resident Evil 6 will release on both current consoles, only the Xbox 360 logo is shown at the end of the trailer.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sS_bGpe9qE8]

Original story: A reliable source within Capcom has revealed to GamesBeat that the currently unannounced Resident Evil 6 is indeed well underway, and will feature franchise heroes Chris Redfield and Leon S. Kennedy as the two leading characters. Ada Wong is also said to be returning, but we were not told in what capacity.

Previous speculation had suggested Capcom may have outsourced the game to a Western developer, a la Dead Rising 2, but that is not the case. Resident Evil 6 is being developed by the same internal Japanese team that has worked on previous entries in the iconic survival horror series.

The gameplay is said to be getting a bit of a tweak based on player feedback from Resident Evil 5. The development team is aiming for a cross between the action/horror  blend of Resident Evil 4, largely considered to be the best in the series and one of the greatest games ever made, and the far more action-oriented Resident Evil 5, which was met with a mixed-but-mostly-positive reaction.

If this news turns out to be true, it would mark the first time a major entry in the series has featured two male protagonists, instead of a male/female duo. Even in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis and Resident Evil 4, where Jill Valentine and Leon were the main playable characters, respectively, members of the opposite sex still featured heavily into the story and had playable sequences throughout the game.

A recent viral campaign has emerged pointing to an impending Resident Evil 6 reveal, possibly as soon as today, as Capcom is holding a public “Fright Club” event to show off the upcoming Resident Evil: Revelations for the Nintendo 3DS, and online multiplayer-shooter Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City. Might as well make it a ménage à trois, right?

Reaching out to Capcom for official comment, GamesBeat was told, “Capcom has made no announcements.”

Check back tomorrow for our coverage of the Fright Club event, or check it out for yourself if you live in the Bay Area. Space is limited, as always.