Please act surprised: Resident Evil Requiem stars Leon Kennedy, and I can't imagine Capcom is too pleased about PlayStation leaking that fact

Days before The Game Awards, one of the most notorious leakers of all time – console storefronts – has finally shown proof that Leon Kennedy is indeed in Resident Evil Requiem.

Even before Resident Evil Requiem was announced, the big rumour was that it would feature an older Leon Kennedy. And earlier this year, when the game was first revealed with a plot focusing on a return to Raccoon City, which has massive ties to Leon (and Jill and Claire, but Capcom hasn't been that bothered about them), and despite Capcom's denial, everyone was asking, "Okay, but where's Leon?"

Well, thanks to the PlayStation Store (via DuskGolem, who has been saying Leon is in the game via leaks for a long time), we can now see some brand new key artwork – and presumably the final box art – for Resident Evil Requiem, and wouldn't you know it, there's Leon right there. So, presumably, Capcom was gearing up to reveal this at The Game Awards later this week.

Despite Leon being 51 by the time Requiem comes out, he's still sporting that Zac Efron in High School Musical haircut, and he still has immaculate taste in jackets with fluffy collars. And yes, he does look a bit more haggard – sporting a beard this time around – he's still the pretty boy of the Resident Evil cast, it seems.

Grace Ashcroft is still front and centre in the artwork, however. So, it's unclear just how much Leon will be included in Resident Evil Requiem, whether that be a dual-protagonist role like in Resident Evil games of old, or if it'll be a role similar to Chris Redfield in Resident Evil Village, where he makes a brief playable appearance.

Of course, now the question is, what was the deal with the GameStop leak from the other day that named Rose Winters as a second character? Was that completely made up, or will a pre-teen Rose be a major player in the plot, too – perhaps as a companion?

After months of speculation, Capcom confirms the mysterious hooded guy from Resident Evil Requiem trailers is "a newly created character for this storyline" because "we don't always want to just lean on surprise comebacks."