Rumours of a Resi Evil spin-off having been ciculating the industry for a while, like a particularly virulent strain of the T-virus. But now we would appear to have confirmation. Of sorts. US gaming blog Stickskills claims to have seen the next issue of the Official Xbox Magazine, which features an exclusive preview of Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, a team-based shooter set inbetween Resident Evil 2 and 3. The game is apparently being developed by Slant Six, the studio behind the squad shooter series, SOCOM.

It seems players take control of an Umbrella Security Services squad sent in to the zombified town to destroy evidence of the ongoing outbreak – and to kill all the survivors. Alternatively you can play as a spec ops squad charged with saving innocent bystanders and stopping the USS. Key characters from the series will crop up along the way, as will recognisable monsters like the tyrants. Players will be able to earn XP to unlock new weapons and abilities.

The weird thing is, the reported release date – winter 2011 – seems a bit soon, considering the lack of official comment from Capcom. However, it fits in with the publisher's new habit of giving established Japanese franchises to Western developers – 2009's Bionic Commando reboot was handled by Swedish outfit, GRIN, while the next Devil May Cry is with Cambridge studio, Ninja Theory.

Hardcore Resi fans are unlikely to be impressed with the continued shootification of the series, a process that started with Resident Evil 4, a much more action-orientated take on the 'survival horror' theme, than previous titles.

For them, however, Capcom has also announced that it's bringing downloadable HD versions of Resident Evil 4 and cult favourite Resident Evil: Code Veronica X to Xbox 360 and PS3 later this year.