Resident Evil Requiem Director Says Leon Could Still Be a ‘Great Character’ When He’s 70

Resident Evil Requiem director Koshi Nakanishi has commented on the current iteration of Leon Kennedy and suggested the character could be sticking around until he’s 70 years old. Leon, who made his first appearance in 1998’s Resident Evil 2, recently appeared alongside Grace Ashcroft in Resident Evil Requiem as one of the game’s two playable protagonists. Alongside the mixture of survival horror and intense action, one of the game’s key selling points was around Leon’s return, and it looks like he’s not going anywhere just yet.

When it comes to the internet, nothing is a secret, not even Leon Kennedy’s return in Resident Evil Requiem. When Capcom first revealed the ninth mainline entry in the series back at 2025’s Summer Game Fest in June, the studio only showed off the sections of the game that included Grace Ashcroft, the daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft and an FBI analyst who is used to sitting behind a desk, not out in the field. Rumors then began to circulate that Capcom would also be bringing Leon Kennedy back into the picture, almost fourteen years after he last appeared in Resident Evil 6. But with Leon now pushing 50, fans are wondering if this was the last time we may see the character.

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Playing as both Grace and Leon in Resident Evil Requiem gave fans the best of both worlds. While the former brought out Capcom’s iconic survival horror elements with some of the scariest moments in the series to date, Leon’s sections were much more action-focused. This is, of course, attributed to Leon’s years of experience taking out the infected. But with Leon now pushing 50 years of age, could Requiem have been his last outing? Well, game director Koshi Nakanishi certainly doesn’t think so. In a new interview with Eurogamer, Nakanishi commented on replacing older characters with young blood, saying he doesn’t “feel the need to replace [its most recognisable faces] with younger characters.”

Balance the critic averages

Easy (6)Medium (8)Hard (10)

The director then specifically commented on Leon and the current iteration of the character seen in Resident Evil Requiem, saying, “I mean, I think Leon is really appealing in his current form.” He then goes on to tease fans with Kennedy’s return once again, but this time as a much older version of himself. “And who knows, we could bring him back when he’s 70, and I’m sure he’ll still be a great character.” Of course, this isn’t exactly confirmation that Leon will be coming back in the next Resident Evil game, but it certainly seems as though Capcom isn’t in any hurry to write off the character.

Leon’s return was undoubtedly a big selling point for fans, and it seems to have paid off massively for Capcom. Not only has the latest entry in the series received rave reviews from both fans and critics, sitting at a massively impressive score of 89 on Metacritic, but it has also broken records for the studio. Late last month, Resident Evil Requiem surpassed another huge sales milestone, reaching 7 million units sold since its launch in February. After hitting 6 million units in just 17 days, Resident Evil Requiem is officially the fastest-selling game in the series.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)

As for what’s next, recent rumors and leaks claim that Capcom is gearing up to show off another Resident Evil remake in June. With Summer Game Fest right around the corner, a trusted insider with a proven track record for Resident Evil leaks has claimed that Capcom is likely looking at a reveal for a Code Veronica remake during Summer Game Fest. Given that Capcom has found huge success with various Resident Evil remakes over the years, it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see the studio release another in between Requiem and a new mainline entry.