Today's Resident Evil Showcase, which was announced earlier this week by Capcom, delivered on its promise to show off more information on Resident Evil Requiem, with the game's director, Koshi Nakanishi, taking players through the different gameplay styles players will experience with between playing as Grace and Leon.
The showcase did not, however, live up to fans' speculation, as people believed the mention of "games," as in more than one game, being shown amounted to nothing more than references to Resident Evil VII and Resident Evil Village making their way to Nintendo Switch 2. The showcase did not include, as players hoped, the reveal of the Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4 remakes, making the jump to Nintendo's latest console.
Back to what it did include, Nakanishi began by addressing the fact that, after months of rumours, we now know that Leon Kennedy is in Resident Evil Requiem as the second playable character alongside Grace. "So, I never said he wasn't going to show up," Nakanishi said before breaking out into a short laugh. "Seriously, I didn't say that at all."
Nakanishi then went on to explain what we've heard before since Leon was confirmed for the game. Capcom wasn't confident it could deliver a horror game centred entirely around Leon, because players don't know him as a character who gets frightened.
Grace is therefore the balance and contrast between Leon, as the more timid, fearful character, whose gameplay stays closer to that of Resident Evil 2 or Resident Evil VII, while Leon is the action-forward character we know and love, with his gameplay more akin to Resident Evil 4.
"In this title, it's like you're playing completely different games with Grace and Leon," Nakanishi says. "Grace's parts are more similar to Resident Evil 2 and 7. Really entrenched in the horror aspects of the gameplay. Whereas Leon's part is closer to the thrilling tension featured in Resident Evil 4. Full-on action that doesn't focus as much on the horror aspect. It may be a survival horror game, but I think we've made an experience that suits Leon."
"By combining Grace's horror and Leon's action and allowing you to play them side-by-side, we created an experience with an emotional range unlike any other Resident Evil title to date."
Nakanishi continued, "The gap between tension and release is one of the things that makes Resident Evil so interesting. However, getting to experience the terrifying and atmospheric sections of Grace's gameplay, then switching to the dynamic, high-action Leon gameplay, offers a huge sense of catharsis. In a broad sense, each part is ordered to offer the ultimate balance of tension and release."
Beyond divulging more about the gameplay ethos of Resident Evil Requiem, Nakanishi offered a couple of story-related hints to better place where Requiem takes place in the timeline, but didn't offer anything particularly revealing. He did, however, put special emphasis on Elpis, which clearly seems to be key to the story.
We also got a look at some updates to the game's crafting system and some of the changes to the zombies, like how zombies will now retain some of the characteristics from their lives. An example shown was the building's custodian continuing to clean, even while undead.
As for the crafting changes, while Leon is able to clear a path in front of him with an array of weapons and deadly roundhouse kicks (he can even pick up an enemy's weapon and use it against them), Grace has to stealth her way through situations and find other means of dispatching zombies.
That's where the new crafting comes in. If you do manage to take down a zombie as Grace, you can use a sample of their blood to create Specialized Injectors that you can jam into a zombie. In the example shown in the trailer, one such concoction makes the zombie explode.
The showcase also showed off some of the differences between playing on its easiest difficulty versus standard, before getting into two collaborations Capcom has done for the game. One with Porsche, to design a car for Leon to drive in-game that's also been made into a real vehicle.
The other is with the watchmakers at Hamilton, which will sell two watches, one for Grace and one for Leon, inspired by their characters in the game. Both watches will be available in a limited supply, with only 1,000 of each being made, and they'll be available to buy the same day the game comes out on February 27, 2026.
Capcom also confirmed that Resident Evil Requiem will be available on GeForce NOW when it arrives next month, so you can expect it to pop up in an upcoming GeForce NOW Thursday blast. Requiem will also support NVIDIA's DLSS 4 with Multi-Frame Generation.
Lastly, the showcase ended by running through some of the bonuses you'll get by pre-ordering and purchasing the deluxe edition of the game instead of the standard, like additional costumes for Grace and Leon, one of which makes Grace look like Lady Dimitrescu from Resident Evil Village.
There are also new figures of both Leon and Grace being made that will be released sometime in Fall 2026. Capcom also has a Requiem-themed Switch 2 controller coming, and some Requiem Amiibo, though we unfortunately didn't get a look at the latter. The showcase also revealed a concert series, Resident Evil: Symphony of Legacy, that will feature performances across Japan, North America, and Europe.
For more on Resident Evil Requiem, you can check out our preview of it from Gamescom 2025, when Wccftech's Francesco De Meo got to go hands-on with the game.
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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