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Resident Evil shelved Leon Kennedy for 14 years because Capcom didn’t want players to see him scared

Resident Evil Requiem is the first time we've played as Leon since 2012's Resident Evil 6 because the director didn't know how to use him in a horror game.

An image of Leon Kennedy in Resident Evil: Requiem — Image credit: Capcom

News by Trent Cannon, Senior Contributing writer

Published on Fri Jan 16 2026

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It has been a long time since fan-favorite character Leon Kennedy showed up in a Resident Evil game. So long, in fact, that his triumphant return in Resident Evil: Requiem was (rightly) celebrated by fans when it was announced in 2025. As the Resident Evil: Requiem release date in February 2026 gets closer, we’re wondering what took so long for Leon to make another appearance in the series. Turns out, it was because the developers didn’t think fans wanted to see Leon Kennedy scared.

During a Resident Evil Showcase streamed on January 15, 2026, Resident Evil: Requiem director Koshi Nakanishi commented on Leon Kennedy’s long absence from the series. “I never said he wasn’t going to show up,” he said, laughing. “Seriously, I didn’t say that at all. In fact, I admitted it back then, but we actually tried to make a genuine horror game with Leon. But, sure enough, we thought that people wouldn’t want to see a timid Leon. That was the overwhelming opinion, at least.”

Since Resident Evil 6 was released in 2012, the series has had a slow but deliberate shift toward horror rather than the action-oriented gameplay that it had become known for. As such, it took a while for Capcom to make a game that suited the character and his reputation for kicking zombie ass. How did Nakanishi and his team make a game that was both scary and suited to Leon’s personality? By doing a bit of both.

“In this title, it’s like you’re playing completely different games with Grace and Leon,” he explained. “Grace’s parts are more similar to Resident Evil 2 and 7. Really entrenched in the horror aspects of the gameplay. Whereas Leon’s part is closer to the thrilling tension featured in Resident Evil 4. Full-on action that doesn’t focus as much on the horror aspect. It may be a survival horror game, but I think we’ve made an experience that suits Leon.”

Resident Evil: Requiem, complete with our badass hero Leon Kennedy, is out on February 27, 2026.

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