The confirmation that Leon S. Kennedy was indeed a playable character in Resident Evil Requiem, as promised by CAPCOM leaker Dusk Golem, was a soothing balm for series fans - especially after they saw what he looks like in the game.
Requiem takes place much further in the timeline. Thirty years have passed since the bombing of Raccoon City, when Leon was a rookie police officer who had a very bad first day at the local Police Department in Resident Evil 2 (canonically set in 1998) and barely escaped with his life. He later appeared in Resident Evil 4 (canonically set in 2004) as an elite agent reporting directly to the president of the United States, and in Resident Evil 6 (which takes place in 2013, according to the official timeline), he's still providing security for the president.
Resident Evil Requiem is set in 2028 in the game's canon. Leon is now 51, so he's much older than when we last saw him, and yet his 'hot uncle' appearance was very well received by fans. How did that come about, though?
Automaton recently participated in a joint media interview with CAPCOM, where Game Director Koshi Nakanishi revealed it had a lot to do with the female staff taking care of his design.
We’ve spent quite a lot of time polishing Leon’s visuals. Leon has many fans among Capcom employees, and women in particular were pretty strict when reviewing his design. They would point out and comment on even the finest details, like the wrinkles on his neck. When I mentioned that story in the past, a female fan told me, the women developers at Capcom did a really good job (laughs). Throughout the development process, Leon was thoroughly refined, and I think we managed to come through with a design that would make anyone’s heart throb.
Of course, the development team did not just focus on making him look good even at his age. They also had to come up with their own take on how his personality developed over the years; on that note, Nakanishi said every staff member had their own ideas on what Leon would and would not do in a given situation. Many discussions ensued, and eventually the developers agreed on how he should behave.
It won't take long before fans can judge this aspect, too. Resident Evil Requiem is out in less than a month on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S and X, and Nintendo Switch 2. Read our comprehensive info roundup here; if you need more Leon footage, check this story. If you need help mastering the game's combat or solving its puzzles, head over to our Resident Evil Requiem Complete Walkthrough and Guides hub.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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