In something of a whoopsie, it would appear that players will indeed see one of the series most beloved characters in Resident Evil: Requiem, after all.

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This follows months of obfuscation from developers Capcom, with Requiem director Koshu Nakanishi saying that more battle-hardened characters from Resident Evil history would be a “bad match for horror”.

It’s a tale almost as confusing as the Resident Evil timeline itself.

But in a twist of events, on the morning of Tuesday 9th December, new cover art for Resident Evil: Requiem appeared on the pre-download screen for the game on the PlayStation store, and lo and behold, a bearded Leon S. Kennedy, complete with his iconic hair and shearling jacket is present, with protagonist Grace Ashcroft in the foreground, as confirmed by IGN.

Whilst this doesn’t explicitly imply that Leon will be a protagonist, featuring him so prominently in the cover art certainly suggests he will be, or at least will play a large part in the story.

If they are a playable character, then it could prove to be a nice change of pace, as we found Requiem to be absolutely terrifying in our preview. A little break from the scares to pew-pew some monsters would be a welcome reprieve.

With all these developments, we wouldn’t be surprised if Maggie Robertson’s wish of playing Lady Dimitrescu again came true!

What’s more, a now-removed listing from GameStop included details that Rosemary Winters, daughter of Resident Evil 7 and Village protagonist Ethan Winters, would be a playable character.

AesheticGamer aka Dusk Golem posted on X (formerly Twitter) the details of the now deleted listing.

As you can see, the Deluxe Edition includes the “Shadow Walker” Costume Pack and “3 exclusive outfits for Rosemary Winters.”

This isn’t without precedent, as the Shadows of Rose DLC for RE: Village featured Rose as the protagonist, with the expansion taking place some years in the future.

Whatever is going on, we will find out soon, as Resident Evil: Requiem is slated for launch in February 2026, and we’ll no doubt find out more details ahead of the release.

Perhaps something at The Game Awards 2025? Only time will tell!

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Authors

Cole Luke wears a black T-shirt and is looking at the camera, smiling. There is a shelving unit in the background
Cole LukeFreelance Writer

Cole Luke is a freelance journalist and video producer who contributes to RadioTimes.com's Gaming section. He also has bylines for Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, Network N and more.

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