Capcom has explained the reason for Leon S. Kennedy not being the main protagonist in Resident Evil Requiem, pointing to his past experiences and overall character. Though many have voiced a desire to see Leon return as a playable character once again in Resident Evil Requiem, its initial trailer focused on a different person entirely.

Resident Evil Requiem will be the next major release for the franchise, with the franchise returning to Raccoon City for the first time since the events that kicked off the series. This time, players will take the role of Grace Ashcroft, the daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft, one of the playable characters in Resident Evil Outbreak.

Related Resident Evil Requiem Reveals Gameplay, Shares More Details About Its Setting and Protagonist Players get a first look at official gameplay of Resident Evil Requiem, along with developer insights on the game’s setting and protagonist.

During the Resident Evil Requiem Capcom spotlight broadcast, the creators of the game talked a bit about the title, including the surprise decision to choose Grace Ashcroft as the protagonist. Game director Koshi Nakanishi explained that the team had always thought about making Leon the main character in Resident Evil Requiem, but that building a horror game around him is difficult precisely due to his prior experience across the series. As Nakanishi put it, players wouldn’t want to see Leon jumping at every little thing, like a random object falling, making him a “bad match for horror.”

Why Grace Ashcroft Was Chosen for Resident Evil Requiem

Particularly in comparison to Leon, Grace Ashcroft is an introverted character that’s scared easily, and has to face her fears in the game. She’s not without skills, as she’s a talented FBI analyst with firearms training. However, she’s also relatively inexperienced at going hands-on in incidents like those of the Resident Evil franchise. The team thought that choosing a protagonist that would experience horror from the same perspective as the person playing as her would be ideal for the game.

Close

Though Leon fans are understandably disappointed that he won’t be the focus of the upcoming title, the logic of the development team is reasonable. Leon has now been the playable character in numerous separate stories across the franchise, as well as appearing in animated works and game spin-offs. His rookie status in Resident Evil 2 put him in a similar role as Grace, dealing with untold horrors that were frightening, but still holding onto his training and capabilities to get through it all. These days, though, Leon has seen and experienced so much that the game would play very differently with the Resident Evil veteran at the helm. This same line of reasoning may have also played a role in games like Resident Evil 5 and 6, where playable character veterans like Chris and Leon were paired with younger, less-experienced partners.