Created as a huge celebration for the series’ 30th anniversary, Resident Evil Requiem is a joint protagonist story with newcomer Grace Ashcroft delivering the horror angle, and returning hero Leon Kennedy offering pulse-pounding action gameplay.
Last seen, chronologically, in Resident Evil 6, which is set in 2012, Leon Kennedy has been aged up for his new modern-day adventure. However, as the long-awaited return for the beloved character, Capcom put the survival hero icon’s new design through a “thorough” review period.
Speaking at a recent media roundtable attended by Automaton, director Koshi Nakanishi explained that the new Leon Kennedy incarnation was designed to be a “hot uncle”. The director explained that, as the character is so beloved, many female employees at Capcom made sure to review individual wrinkles on the character’s face.
“I think we managed to come through with a design that would make anyone’s heart throb.”
Resident Evil Requiem director Koshi Nakanishi on Leon Kennedy’s design.
“We’ve spend quite a lot of time polishing Leon’s visuals,” Nakanishi said. “Leon has many fans among Capcom, and women in particular were pretty strict when reviewing his design. They would point out and comment on even the finest wrinkles on his neck.”
Nakanishi said that when he told a female fan about the rigorous review process the studio had for Leon, they responded: “The women developers at Capcom did a really good job”.
The Resident Evil Requiem director explained that Leon was “thoroughly refined” over the years of development. “I think we managed to come through with a design that would make anyone’s heart throb,” the director said.
Nakashini explained that bringing back Leon for the new game was especially hard because “every staff member had their own interpretation” of the character. “There were more opinions about what he’s like on the inside compared to his looks, and after many discussions, we were able to settle on something that clicked for us. When players see this Leon in the game, hopefully they will be able to find their own interpretation of him as well,” he said.
It’s not known if Resident Evil Requiem will feature any other returning characters, such as Chris Redfield or Ada Wong, as the game releases to celebrate the series’ 30th anniversary. It’s also not known if the game will include a Mercenaries mode after release.
Resident Evil Requiem releases on February 27, 2026 for PC, Xbox Series, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch 2.
