Leon was considered for Resident Evil Requiem lead – here’s why Capcom created Grace instead

Just a couple weeks after Resident Evil Requiem closed out Summer Game Fest, Capcom has shared another good inside look at the hotly anticipated sequel, speaking to the creators about the inspirations and direction that this new game is taking. The game is set to launch on February 27th 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Steam.

Director Koshi Nakanishi gave insides on how the game is built around the concept of addictive fear – as in, the cathartic effect of overcoming fears. He also discussed how that ties in with the new protagonist, FBI agent Grace Ashcroft, who is shy and introverted, needing to overcome her fears and leaning on her training to be able to use a gun and fast deduction skills.

Leon had been in consideration to be the lead character for this new game, and would certainly have been popular, so why not return to the franchise staple?

“We always thought about making Leon the protagonist,” Nakanishi-san said. “But making a horror game based around him is difficult. He wouldn’t jump at something like a bucket falling. No one wants to see Leon scared by every little thing, so he’s actually quite a bad match for horror.”

Elsewhere, there’s insights on how RE Engine has evolved to cope with some of the ordeals that Grace is being put through. For example, when hung upside down, the rush of blood to her head will now add redness to her face, while a wig was used to model the hair hanging upside down and the motion that it causes.

For the setting and returning to Raccoon City, Art Director Tomonori Takano said, “we’ve seen a lot of characters face hardship due to Raccoon City, who have faced those hardships and grown. Figuring out how to tell a story which came off of all that came before was actually quite a daunting undertaking that I was nervous about.”

Nakanishi-san then said, “There were a lot of characters involved in the original outbreak who lost their lives or were changed drastically as a result of it. […] This game is a requiem, a eulogy to those who came before.”

Longer developer interviews are available by signing up with a Capcom ID at game.capcom.com/residentevil/ 

Resident Evil Requiem is set to be another big shift in style and tone for the long-running horror franchise. Starring Grace Ashcroft, the story drags her back to Raccoon City, 30 years on from its destruction in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, as she follows the trail of strange deaths at the Renwood Hotel as an FBI technical analyst. That just so happens to be where her mother was herself murdered eight years previously.

The game will call back to some of the most iconic entries of the series to date by having Grace be pursued by a monster, similar to Mr. X and Lady Dimitrescu, and (as was eventually added to RE Village), you’ll be able to switch between first person and third person perspectives, which will help to shift the tone of the game and experience. to your liking.

Tags: Resident Evil 9: Requiem