Many fans rushed to scream Leon S. Kennedy had aged like fine wine when he showed up in Resident Evil Requiem‘s December 2025 trailer. That’s a sentiment most of us can agree with, and it appears we also have to thank Capcom’s female developers for their attention to detail.
At least that’s what Resident Evil Requiem director Koshi Nakanishi revealed during a chat with Automaton: “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.”
With Requiem’s story being set around 20 years after the events of Resident Evil 4, Leon is now comfortably sporting an authentic dad/uncle look that makes him a true veteran who’s seen too many horrors for a single lifetime. Regardless, he’s back for more action alongside Grace Ashcroft, with the latter favouring a tenser survival horror gameplay loop.
Leon’s design wasn’t locked early on, either. Nakanishi revealed it actually changed over the course of making the game: “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.” It sure sounds like they were thinking about the thirstiest fans during the entire process.
The employees’ suggestions went beyond Leon’s look as well, with Nakanishi also stating “every staff member had their own interpretation of Leon’s 30-year-long history.” Considering Resident Evil’s storied journey over so many entries, it comes as no surprise developers that have also grown up with the series had heated feedback for the top creatives. “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,” the director added.
Fans won’t have to wait long now to spend as much time as they want with Leon and Grace; Resident Evil Requiem will infect PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and even Nintendo Switch 2 on 27th February, 2026.
