Capcom Revealed Initial Plans for Resident Evil Requiem—Focus on Online and Leon as Only Protagonist

Resident Evil Requiem is one of the most successful games of 2026, in every way. That starts with its sales: the ninth mainline game became the fastest-selling title in the franchise’s history and has sold 8.5 million copies so far.

Things could have turned out very differently if Capcom had stuck to its first plans. According to the Biohazard 30th Special Mook and series producer Masachika Kawata, the game was first built around an online concept, but the team dropped the idea, with Leon also being meant to be the only protagonist. The developers soon realized that, given his experience and the need to balance action with horror, they should add Grace as a second playable character. For more info on this matter, you can check out below:

Resident Evil Requiem was originally planned as an online game, but Capcom eventually changed direction.

Producer Masachika Kawata revealed that director Koshi Nakanishi initially explored an online concept but after researching the idea, the team decided it wasn’t working well enough and shifted its focus back to horror.

Leon was also considered as the main character, but the developers felt his combat abilities would make it harder to scare players si they chose Grace Ashcroft to a better survival horror experience.

It was clearly the right call, and it helped make Resident Evil Requiem one of the best games in the series, with its Metacritic score of 89. If you haven’t played it yet, you can purchase the game on Eneba and get a 5% discount with the promo code EGW5.

Capcom is also officially developing a story DLC for Resident Evil Requiem. The studio isn’t rushing to share details, but writer Haris Orkin recently let slip that the expansion will dig deeper into Spencer’s story and release in 2027. Insider Dusk Golem previously claimed Spencer’s Mansion was cut from Requiem but may appear in the upcoming DLC.

There is also Resident Evil Veronica, the new remake set for release in 2027. The exact release date is unknown, but it has reportedly been pushed to autumn that year instead of initial spring launch. The upcoming DLC for Requiem is also without a release date for now.