Capcom can't help itself, brings Leon Kennedy back for Resident Evil 9 as one of "two playable characters" and gives him a chainsaw
Capcom confirms the Resident Evil Requiem secret everyone's known about forever: Leon's back, he's older, and he's still got a flawless roundhouse kick
Y'all better hold onto your hats, because I have a surprise that'll shake you to your core... Leon Kennedy is back in Resident Evil Requiem, and he's one of two playable characters.
Never mind the fact that Leon starring in Resident Evil Requiem was one of the worst kept secrets in gaming - even more-so after hard proof emerged on the PlayStation Store - Capcom took the stage at The Game Awards 2025 and made history... by bringing back a character from 1998.
Behold the new Resident Evil Requiem gameplay trailer, which admittedly looks pretty awesome:
I say "admittedly" because I made what I consider a pretty strong argument against putting Leon in Resident Evil Requiem back in July. Basically, I want to give Grace Ashcroft the space to develop as a new Resident Evil protagonist, and I'm still conflicted about throwing a chainsaw-wielding, roundhouse kicking Leon back into a series director Koshi Nakanishi has said "should scare the hell out of you." I get that Grace is supposed to represent the horror element and Leon, the action, but I don't know, I was kind of hoping for just a purely horror-driven experience from Resident Evil Requiem, even if I'm low-key hyped to play as Leon again.
Resident Evil Requiem hits PS5, Xbox Series X, PC, and Switch 2 on February 27.
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After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.
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