A timeline of RE15's history and the hunt for it (1996-2013)

[RMandel]

Thought I'd pull this out of Aleff's thread and spin it off into its own.

For me, the story of how RE15 came to be and the subsequent 16-year hunt for it is even more fun than the game itself. That's just me - I like a good story, and this one's got all of the drama, politics, intrigue, feuding, backstabbing, hucksters and shysters, and so on, of any good adventure or questing drama. Graco's excellent RE15 FAQ only hints at the full story. It takes place on an international stage, with players from over two dozen countries and on almost every continent on the globe. From the bootleg black markets of Hong Kong all the way around the world, though Japan, North and South America, England, the Common Market, and on to Russia and the shopping arcades of Garbushka -- you'll not find anything quite like this tale in all of videogame history to date. For those of you who want more and missed all of the drama of these past years (like me), who were never aware of how it all started, how RE15 was developed and cancelled, and then how the hunt for this lost game came to be and the highlights of almost everything that went on with it over the years ... well ... here's where to look.

I also hope the "old hands" and everyone else who came in (and out) of the RE15 scene can use this info to jog their memories, and improve it even more. I'll of course update as new info comes in. Mirrors, posting on other sites, extensive quotations, AND translations into other languages are all welcome (i.e. you have my blessing)

THE HUNT FOR RESIDENT EVIL 1.5 by Richard Mandel

Archive (v1.02) --> http://download850.mediafire.com/839...re15_v102f.rar

Almost all of this information - certainly all of it with regards to the Internet prior to 2003 - was found either in the archives of various Internet forums and sites, dug out of the Wayback Machine's archives, or sifted out from the old Usenet archives. There is always the possibility that I haven't correctly connected some of the dots, though - I'm human, and I make mistakes. Comments, questions, corrections, criticisms, and suggestions are all welcome.

[Deathlygasm]

Already read all of Part 1 <3 bout to start part 2 GREAT READ GUYS CHECK IT OUT!!!

[Enigmatism415]

At the rate you're going, I'll soon see your face on the business end of a hardcover publication entitled "The One That Got Away: Join Richard Mandel as he here provides an exclusive in-depth look at the history and the mystery behind the most elusive prototype to date". I see a book deal in the making!

[ajrich17901]

Very well written thanks a lot dude, reading the second part now.

[Deathlygasm]

Amazing how much I am learning about 1.5's history through this

[RMandel]

Added Part 3, dealing with the whole Curator business and the public aftermath of all that. Go to the first post for the link. I also need to correct an error in Part 2 on the entry for the Biohaze website. "Yama" is not the same as "yami," the guy who did the initial background work for Dominion's Dark Biohazard PMOD. My apologies for that goof.

[News Bot]

I'm afraid I take particular issue with this passage in the third file:

- Colvin (aka Joel Welsh) finally succeeds in rebooting the old White Umbrella
server and transforming it into his vision of what should be the best RE site
on the Internet. Now renamed Project Umbrella, its chief focus is on the
history told within the games and how they all interrelate with each other in
a "canon" form. Thus, after its own fashion and according to its own
particular idiom, Project Umbrella becomes possibly the best RE reference site
"for all things canon."
[THIA's Newsbot is one of the site's major contributors. To be fair, it REALLY
IS a good site for RE canon research. You'll find things there you won't find
anywhere else - if that's what you're into. Colvin may have started the thing
out of spite for Steam regarding their old TRG feud (and he had a hellua head
start in resources with his personal copy of the old White Umbrella archives,
but Project Umbrella eventually grew beyond its questionable origins. That was
and is thanks in no small part to the people who came in and helped him build it
up. People like Newsbot, for example. You'll also see a lot of familiar names
in the Project Umbrella forums ....]

1) Project Umbrella has no relation to White Umbrella. Literally nothing. I wasn't even on the Internet when WU was around.

2) I am not a PU contributor. I am the owner.

3) PU was started by myself and Krispy in 2006 after we met on reHorror and initially wanted to do a "Resident Evil Media" hub before the idea expanded, and we brought on other reHorror members Neptune and Chimera, and El Bastardo and Mr. Spencer from Metal Gear Solid: The Unofficial Site.

4) Colvin offered to contribute in about late 2009. He was not involved with the site's formulation or foundation, but has since become a major contributor. He has no control over the site itself. I am the only one with control over the site, although I give most of the staff free reign on things like the podcast, moderation etc.

I'm disappointed in that, especially when the site's origins are detailed in the FAQ. Regarding Colvin himself, despite some very disappointing missteps over the years, he has contributed more to the community than most people can ever claim to. He was 14 at the time of most of the "original drama" of the community, so I personally don't think it's fair to judge him based on those. That said, I am never pleased when he messes up in the community in current times. Despite that, he still does more work than most and is very dedicated to what he does (to his own detriment at times). He's currently working on a "Making of BIO HAZARD" book and has conducted or helped to conduct countless interviews with CAPCOM staff. Even a small portion of what I've seen from the book will blow people away.

[RMandel]

Thanks for the info on Project Umbrella. Have updated and corrected accordingly.

[Ohmycod]

This is incredible! The amount of despair, betrayal, and drama all for this one beta.

That made for a very interesting read, furthermore I also like your 1.5 what if video's that you've uploaded. I always enjoy anything new you have to Offer Richard, keep it up.

[Dark Biohazard]

Looks very interesting, thanks RMandel!

[Rombie]

I've skimmed over and seen a few issues. I'll need to re read later for more specifics. I suggest too making a fifth file which is a glossary of terms and people involved for reference due to the size of the other documents.

[Guest]

You should give it a name like "In the darkness of RE1.5", the unofficial true story by Rmandel !

[Renard]

Really great work on this, it's very interesting. I've only read the first one, but I'll read the others later because my eyes are BURNING.

It's interesting, Mikami and the other guy don't seem too negative towards 1.5. But the director, Kamiya, has even gone so far as to call 1.5 "garbage".

[Zombie_X]

Here should be the cover of the book:

[MeganGrass]

Interesting read.

I never would have imagined that someone would have gone to such lengths in order to produce something like this... it's... amazing, but in a good way. There's quite a lot of stuff that's happened through the years that could make for an interesting read, most especially the juicy stuff that's never been revealed.

...just a few things:

"RE uber-PMOdding expert Mark Grass also has fond memories of White Umbrella. He was new to the RE scene at the time, and for him it was a dream come true."

I wasn't new to the scene, at that time (unless one would consider 2+ years to be new). In fact, I was a staff member of the 'Neo' version of White Umbrella (Neo-WU). Scream can give much more information about Neo-WU, and the history of Neo/White Umbrella.

Also, not too fond of the "RE uber-PModding expert" prefix... In spite of the fact I've created the first tools this scene ever had (and personally developed the fake ego/character that comes with all that attention), I have never produced a single mod - none that were publicly released, anyway. I obviously can't tell you how to write your own piece, but that prefix is too much, even for me.

...and one last, small request. If you're going to use my real name, Mark Grass, you'd might as well throw my middle initial in there (Mark E. Grass). My 'alias'/alter-ego, MarkGrass, works too. Sorry, I'm just kinda picky about that.

...otherwise, you deserve some spanking/praise for your research.

On the subject of Colvin, while I agree with News Bot that he has contributed much more than your average user, he brought all the negative attention upon himself. No one can change or defend that. Also, how old is Joel, really? When I talked to him (in-depth) around 2007-2008-ish, he told me that he was my age (even went as-far as to provide pictures of himself). And now, I find out he was a 14 year old kid?! If that's the case, I feel especially weird and very uncomfortable, given the conversations we had.