One of the producers of the upcoming Resident Evil Requiem, Masato Kumazawa, has addressed leaks surrounding fan-favorite character Leon S. Kennedy’s presence in the game, calling Kennedy’s supposed new appearance fake. Kumazawa is directly addressing a supposedly leaked image of Leon looking aged and wearing an eye patch, but doesn’t appear to refute the broader leaks about Leon’s RE9 involvement.
In an interview with Stevivor, Kumazawa shuts down the circulated image supposedly showing Leon in Requiem, saying, “There has been a photo lately of Leon with an eye patch, and just basically saying there’s a DLC or a new costume for Leon – but just to make sure, these are all fake news.” More broadly, Kumazawa notes that fans have been engaging in a lot of “detective work” surrounding RE9‘s still-mysterious plot, but stresses that, “unless it’s officially released from Capcom, we can’t give [fans] any confirmation” regarding which characters might make an appearance.
Resident Evil 9 Producer Refutes “Leaked” Image Of Leon Kennedy With An Eye Patch
Kumazawa warns Resident Evil fans not to believe everything they see. “Considering that now is the time when AI [can be used to make] videos and photos,” he says, “we don’t know what’s right or what’s wrong.” Notably, the producer doesn’t necessarily shut down the idea of Leon appearing in Requiem. He alludes to “official information that Capcom has released” twice, effectively telling consumers to defer to Resident Evil Requiem‘s marketing, such as trailers and gameplay demonstrations.
The rest of the interview steers away from the subject of Leon. Perhaps most pertinent, though, is the subject of RE9‘s return to Raccoon City. “It’s a lot of pressure to revisit a location from 20 years ago,” says Kumazawa. “For most of us, actually, we wanted to know what actually happened as well, so it’s an honor to be making and creating this story of the city.” The series’ arrival in Raccon City coincides with Leon’s introduction in Resident Evil 2. Further rumors have suggested Requiem is going to be something of a conclusion to the series’ ongoing storylines, thus the return to Raccoon City and the belief that Leon has a part to play.
Despite the constantly swarming rumors, Kumazawa’s response indicates that we won’t know for sure if Leon is in Resident Evil Requiem until it releases in February. Some have claimed that Leon will be playable as a second protagonist alongside Grace Ashcroft, who has been the primary focus of RE9‘s marketing. If Leon is indeed in the game, Capcom clearly wants his appearance to be a surprise; the developer/publisher has been keeping Requiem information quite close to the chest since it was announced.
Trailers and gameplay videos have exclusively focused on Grace and a section of RE9 that takes place in a clinic, which seems to be one of the game’s very earliest levels. Even vague allusions to viruses is the only tangible connection we’ve seen to the wider Resident Evil timeline. Producer Masato Kumazawa has outright said that eye-patched Leon is not going to be in Resident Evil Requiem, but that likely won’t stop the speculation that the beloved is making a return.
- Released
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February 27, 2026
- ESRB
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Rating Pending
- Engine
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RE Engine