An alleged leak from Resident Evil Requiem has raised concern amongst fans, as Capcom reveals its slate for the Tokyo Game Show.
Capcom revealed Resident Evil Requiem earlier this year and while we know the sequel will feature new protagonist Grace Ashcroft, a prevailing rumour suggests it will also see the return of at least one classic character.
Although Jill Valentine has also been mentioned, the mostly commonly rumoured character is Leon S. Kennedy, who debuted in 1998’s Resident Evil 2 but went onto star in both Resident Evil 4 and 2012’s much maligned Resident Evil 6.
Capcom hasn’t confirmed if Leon will appear in Resident Evil Requiem (although they have explained why he isn’t the main protagonist), but a questionable ‘leak’ has emerged, which seemingly shows an aged-up version of the character.
The leak was first posted on 4chan but has since circulated on Reddit. While it’s unclear what the document, dated May 2025, actually is (a translation of the text indicates some sort of internal showcase for the character models), it has ‘confidential’ scribbled across the top and shows three images: a zombie in Raccoon City Police Department attire, some kind of two-headed creature, and a character who resembles Leon.
However, this isn’t the Leon you remember. In this image, he has an eyepatch akin to Big Boss from Metal Gear, looks notably older, and has tufts of facial hair.
Expert, exclusive gaming analysis
Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.
Resident Evil Requiem is set 30 years after Raccoon City’s destruction in Resident Evil 3 (which takes places at roughly the same time as Resident Evil 2) where Leon is a 21-year-old rookie police officer.
This time jump means Leon, if he does appear in the sequel, will have to be 51-years-old. Recent rumours have suggested Resident Evil Requiem will be Leon’s last game in the series but, again, none of this has been confirmed by Capcom.
There’s plenty of reason to be sceptical over the leak’s legitimacy, but many fans on ResetEra are hoping the alleged leak isn’t real anyway. ‘There is no way Capcom gives their favourite pretty boy an eyepatch,’ one user posted.
‘An eye patch? I don’t know, I hope it’s fake,’ another wrote. ‘Oh hell no, I hope that leaked pic is fake,’ someone else posted.
If a reveal of Leon is planned, it won’t be at Capcom’s recently announced presentation at the Tokyo Game Show. The company confirmed the online showcase, which is set to air on Wednesday, September 24 at 3pm BST, will ‘not include new info on Resident Evil Requiem’ on X.
What games does Capcom have at Tokyo Game Show 2025?
Instead, the presentation will focus on Pragmata, Street Fighter 6, Onimusha: Way Of The Sword, Monster Hunter Wilds, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, and Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection, which was quietly announced last week.
The Star Force series was the spiritual successor to the Battle Network franchise, whose own collection did unexpectedly well in 2023. Fans had hoped that might mean a new entry but instead all they’re getting is Star Force, which wasn’t nearly as popular when it was released on the DS in the mid-2000s.
The collection, which is set to release in 2026, features all three role-playing games, along with their respective variant versions – which originally worked like mainline Pokémon games. Capcom is marketing it as a seven-game collection, but really there are only three overall.
For Resident Evil fans, there’s a good chance Capcom has omitted Resident Evil Requiem from the presentation because it’s planned for the rumoured State Of Play next week. The sequel is set to appear at the Tokyo Game Show in a special panel with director Koshi Nakanishi, so it makes sense that there will be some kind of reveal around the event itself.
Resident Evil Requiem is set to launch on February 26, 2026 across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.
Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter.
To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.
For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.
