Resident Evil Requiem producer calls Leon Kennedy DLC rumor "fake news," but tells fans they are "free to believe what they would like" even if "we can't give you any confirmation"

Leon S. Kennedy: the man, the myth, the man, the myth… Resident Evil Requiem is surrounded by rumors of the dreamy federal agent's return, but producer Masato Kumazawa is encouraging fans to focus only on tangible facts.

"Considering that now is the time when AI [can be used to make] videos and photos," Kumazawa tells the website Stevivor through a translator, "we don't know what's right or what's wrong."

On that note, "There has been a photo lately of Leon with an eye patch," Kumazawa says, "and just basically saying there's a DLC or a new costume for Leon – but just to make sure, these are all fake news."

While I would have liked to see Leon in a grubby eyepatch in the gruesome-looking Requiem for the thrill of it, letting his baby blues contract pinkeye, I'm hoping he'll be saved from Capcom parading him around like a legacy act. I want Requiem protagonist Grace Ashcroft to establish herself without the threat of another franchise hero blocking out her sun with their shadow.

Kumazawa adds that "players are free to believe what they would like to believe; what I'd like to tell is that, please, unless it's officially released from Capcom, we can't give you any confirmation."

"Apart from any official information that Capcom has released, the rest is more detective work," the producer says. "So I would suggest to please not take everything at face value." And definitely don't take everything at eyepatch value – that's even worse.

I played Resident Evil Requiem and kept shouting at the protagonist, but the fact that she’s a bit useless is kind of the point.