Resident Evil Requiem director hints Leon Kennedy might still be fighting zombies in his retirement as Capcom "could bring him back when he's 70"

If you were somehow worried that Resident Evil Requiem was a send-off for Leon Kennedy, I wouldn't stress, as the game's director is down to bring him back after retirement age.

Speaking to Eurogamer, Resident Evil Requiem director Koshi Nakanishi explains: "It's not a cast iron rule that whenever we come up with a new game and we decide to release it here, that we have to exactly age everyone up to match it or anything like that." Granted, age has never really been a factor – Leon himself is pushing 50 in Requiem, but he moves and looks far younger than that (especially at the end of the game).

And while the passage of time in the series should necessitate its characters passing the torch as they age out of zombie-killing territory, Nakanishi says Capcom doesn't "feel the need to replace [its most recognizable faces] with younger characters... we don't really think of it in those terms."

Even at his older age, the people loved Leon, dubbing him a "hot unc" almost the second he was revealed for Requiem. Nakanishi seemingly agrees with this assessment, saying: "I mean, I think Leon is really appealing in his current form." And if you thought there was a chance that Requiem would be a final send-off for the character, he may have good news for you, saying: "Who knows, we could bring him back when he's 70, and I'm sure he'll still be a great character."

Normally I'd stress the importance of boosting the series' longevity by introducing new characters, but Resident Evil is already pretty good at that. Sure, Ethan was – intentionally – a bit bland at times, but he's become a faceless icon of the series, and shared the screen with Chris in Resident Evil Village. Meanwhile, Grace was a great addition to the series and managed to hold her own alongside Leon. Plus, with how little Claire and Jill have been used since the early years of the series, they may as well be new characters if this point if Capcom ever decides to go back to them.

If you're yet to play the newest Capcom horror game, be sure to take a look at our Resident Evil Requiem review. You can also check out our guide to Resident Evil Requiem's safe codes if you're looking to uncover all its secrets.