I have a feeling this will go with the RE4-type gameplay which doesn't sit well with what old RE games are about.
To have RE4's gameplay, you need big areas to fully-utilize RE4's mechanics. And you need very mobile enemies to justify the mechanics.
RE2 is about being trapped inside, close to the enemy. You move forward at a slower pace to help soak in the atmosphere. In RE1 and RE2, the environments are the main antagonists. They're memorable because you take your time going through them, you backtrack into most of them. Learn to appreciate them. Dig in every little details. They have personality because of the fixed camera angles. They show you what you need to see. And it makes all the difference.
REmake has my favorite environments in games. Some of them are so simple, so perfectly put together. The tiniest detail creates a specific emotion that's linked to a specific room you're in. And with a Third-person camera, it's incredibly hard to do because the player can look where he wants hence you have less-subtle environments. They're more blunt and direct than something with a fixed-camera.
In TPS RE games, you have a 360 degree view and the environments are pretty big. The art around you becomes spread too thin. Textures and models are optimized for performances and props and materials are reused for memory. They become emulation and pale interpretation of what the original intent was.
I could understand their decision if they decided to go with an RE4-type game, but the fan in me, the gamer in me and the game dev in me would really be sad with that direction.