Kawata says Leon alone could not carry the horror in Requiem

In the Biohazard 30th Special Mook, producer Masachika Kawata said Leon Kennedy was the first lead locked in for Resident Evil Requiem. The team soon decided a veteran who already fights the infected for a living would not be frightening on his own. Grace Ashcroft became the second protagonist for that reason.

Early trailers stayed on Grace so the horror would land before players saw the action side. Kawata’s point was brief: they held the full picture back until late, and that kept people curious right up to launch.

Director Koshi Nakanishi first explored Requiem as an online game. The team dropped the idea because it was not what fans wanted to play, then started over and built the game that shipped.

In May, Nakanishi and producer Masato Kumazawa described how they split horror and action. Without a clear picture of the fear they were making, the rest of the design would have had nothing to hang on. Requiem launched in early 2026 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2, passed 8 million copies, and analysts put revenue above $500 million — the highest figure for the series.