I’m shocked—shocked!—to learn that Leon S. Kennedy will appear in Resident Evil Requiem. It’s only the thing fans have been guessing for months, ever since the sequel was revealed back at Summer Game Fest. The new confirmation comes not from some industry insider or from speculation on 4chan but via the PlayStation Store itself, which accidentally shared the surprise with players. I’m guessing the full reveal was planned for this week’s Game Awards 2025 showcase.
The leak started spreading earlier today when some PSN users uploaded footage of a pre-order notification that included game cover art showing Leon behind new protagonist Grace Ashcroft. Other users began sharing the same screen notifying them about auto-download options, and IGN has since verified the screenshots going around are accurate. The game releases on February 27, 2026, suggesting Capcom was saving Leon’s appearance as one last surprise to hype fans ahead of launch.
🚨 MASSIVE RE9 LEAK 🚨
Leon S. Kennedy has leaked on the PlayStation store ahead of the game awards and is shown on the games poster with Grace. He has the RE4R design but is much older as @AestheticGamer1 stated before. @SpookyHoo #RE9 #Leak
CREDIT TO : bluewav_ on YouTube pic.twitter.com/ntGsO10iKl
— Mr. Kennedy (@Tylerpbel) December 9, 2025
Leon has appeared in the franchise going back to Resident Evil 2, with roles in RE4 and RE6 as well. Thanks to stellar remakes of both RE2 and RE4, the Italian-American police officer turned federal agent has become a fan-favorite member of the survival horror series’ cast. RE9‘s reveal earlier this year fueled speculation of his return as Capcom refused to show footage beyond the start of the game and played coy about whether FBI agent Grace was sharing the stage with any Resident Evil veterans.
Producer Masato Kumazawa even loudly denounced alleged leaked images of Leon going around last month. “There has been a photo lately of Leon with an eyepatch, and just basically saying there’s a DLC or a new costume for Leon—but just to make sure, these are all fake news,” he told Stevior in an interview. It was a valiant effort.
What about Rosemary Winters?
The PlayStation Store notification wasn’t the only Requiem leak this week. GameStop also appeared to spill the beans on previously unrevealed content. Long-time Resident Evil leaker AestheticGamer (previously Dusk Golem) shared a listing for the PC version’s Deluxe Edition that points to another potential playable protagonist as well as a new game mode (via VGC) . The bonus rewards include the “Sanctuary” expansion pass for two new story scenarios and a major “Mercenaries mode,” a unique cosmetic for Rose, and three exclusive outfits for Rosemary Winters.
GameSpot seems to have accidentally just posted more Deluxe Edition content for Resident Evil Requiem, which includes some spoilers, including Mercenaries Mode, Grace having a “FBI Visor” mechanic, & two planned story DLC for RE9. pic.twitter.com/7HoZbqTUzp
— AestheticGamer aka Dusk Golem (@AestheticGamer1) December 7, 2025
That strongly suggests that Rosemary will be someone players control at some point, unless the the cosmetics are specifically for the other mode. She’s the daughter of Resident Evil Village protagonist Ethan Winters and was just a baby at the time of that entry. AestheticGamer doesn’t seem completely convinced the listing is accurate though. Store listings come from employees, meaning they can sometimes be outdated, inaccurate, or completely made-up. We’ll find out what’s what soon enough.