At today’s The Game Awards 2025, Capcom revealed Resident Evil Requiem’s second protagonist – fan-favorite Leon S. Kennedy. Following the announcement, AUTOMATON Japan had the opportunity to participate in a joint interview with Requiem’s director Akifumi Nakanishi and producer Masato Kumazawa. They gave an explanation of how the game’s dual-protagonist structure will work, alongside some fun details about how they approached the portrayal of an older Leon.

—Requiem features a dual-protagonist structure with Grace and Leon. How will it work?

Akifumi Nakanishi (hereafter Nakanishi):
Requiem has just one, unified story. As the plot advances, you switch between Leon’s sections and Grace’s sections. There are even some scenes where they meet. Grace is “the biggest scaredy-cat in Resident Evil history,” while Leon is a seasoned veteran, so seeing how those personalities interact is part of the fun.

—For newcomers to the series, how would you describe Leon’s appeal?

Masato Kumazawa (hereafter Kumazawa):
You don’t need to know the past games to understand the story this time around. The only thing you need to know is that he was involved in the Raccoon City incident. We want players to focus on how he confronts things now that he’s older, and how he chooses to deal with the events around him.

Nakanishi:
One thing’s for sure, Leon isn’t just handsome, he’s cool personality-wise too. He’s the type who doesn’t hesitate to sacrifice himself to save others, but he’s not arrogant about it, and he has a passionate inner self. I hope you’ll also look forward to the dry wit and subtle sarcasm that only an older guy can bring.

The battle this time will probably push Leon to his limits more than ever before, and this is a crucial part of the experience.

—How did you approach designing Leon in this game?

Nakanishi:
Although he’s a character who carries a lot on his shoulders, we took a lot of care in refining him to be an “ikeoji” (a cool/attractive older guy). The reactions to the trailer on that front have made us happy (laughs).

Kumazawa:
There are plenty of Leon fans inside the company too, after all.

Nakanishi:
The designers worked really hard.

Also, this is Leon’s first return to Raccoon City since Resident Evil 2, so seeing how he responds to the “place where it all began” now that he’s older is another major point of interest.

—With two protagonists, how is the overall structure divided?

Nakanishi:
In terms of gameplay, Grace and Leon’s playable sections are almost equally split. The structure is similar to Resident Evil Revelations.

I’ve said before that Leon isn’t well suited to horror. Since quiet sections where you cower before monsters don’t fit him, his chapters focus on intense, adrenaline-pumping action. Grace’s sections, on the other hand, are the scarier ones. We’re really emphasizing the difference in their experiences this time.

It’s almost like having two games with completely different types of tension mixed together. Early on, we worried players might not be able to keep up, but now we feel that the contrast gives the game a unique rhythm, like jumping into a cold bath after sitting in a hot sauna (laughs). It was important to combine the slow and fast segments well, and Grace and Leon turned out to be the best combination for that. Leon also has lots of new actions, giving you a strong sense of release compared to Grace’s sequences.

—In past comments, you mentioned that you originally considered Leon as the sole protagonist but chose Grace to heighten the horror factor. Was Grace added later in development?

Nakanishi:
That was before the project solidified. Once development began in earnest, we were already committed to having two protagonists

—Past titles like Resident Evil 7 drew feedback for being “too scary.” Was Grace included specifically to strengthen the horror?

Nakanishi:
Actually, it’s the opposite. If the whole game were Grace, it would be extremely scary. In this sense, Leon’s sections work to release the tension. You feel safe during Leon’s chapters, and then scared again during Grace’s. It’s a consciously designed horror structure. As a result, while Requiem is certainly scary, I think players will also feel a kind of exhilaration and satisfaction that past Resident Evil titles didn’t offer.

Kumazawa:
After a scary segment, the action feels even more exciting. And after an action segment, the horror feels even more terrifying. I think it’s a combined experience only possible by merging two completely different styles of gameplay.

—In the trailer, Leon uses a chainsaw. Does he have other unique actions?

Nakanishi:
Grace’s gameplay is based on Resident Evil 2, whereas Leon’s gameplay includes martial arts and melee moves, based on Resident Evil 4.

This is the first new game with Leon as a main protagonist since Resident Evil 6, and he’s older and more experienced now. A major development theme for us was: “What would Leon be like in 2026?” Even though he keeps fighting to save people, bioterror never goes away, so what state of mind has he reached now? What can he do with his seasoned combat skills? With those concepts in mind, we added new elements on top of a Resident Evil 4-style foundation.

—Leon drives a Porsche. How did that happen?

Kumazawa:
We were looking for a car that fit Leon, and thankfully, Porsche kindly agreed, which led to a full collaboration. We made it his personal car, a Cayenne Turbo GT custom-built to suit the game’s world. It’s a one-of-a-kind car. We hope to show footage of it at some point.