Resident Evil Requiem director confirms that Grace Ashcroft is the new main character for the series. Read on to learn more about what the game will focus on and its new feature of switching perspectives anytime.
Grace Ashcroft is the New Main Character
Resident Evil Requiem Latest Update
Maybe it’s time to move over Leon—Resident Evil Requiem (RE9) director Koshi Nakanishi confirmed that the game will feature the new protagonist shown in the game’s first trailer. According to Neon Slice, based on the private video message by Nakanishi sent exclusively to platinum Resident Evil Ambassadors, he explicitly referred to Grace Ashcroft as the "new main character" for RE9.
Resident Evil Requiem made its first appearance during Summer Game Fest 2025, much to everyone’s surprise. Based on the trailer, RE9 seems to return to Racoon City, and many expected long-time series protagonist Leon Kennedy to return as the game’s protagonist. However, the teaser focused on Grace being the only playable character.
There is no official confirmation if Leon will also be playable or even part of this title. Many fans are still hoping to see their beloved hero appear in RE9, but Nakanishi emphasized that Grace will take center stage, and her character will be deeply connected to the larger Resident Evil universe.
Return to Racoon City
Fans were shocked to see RE9's trailer featuring Raccoon City, and wondered how the game will continue to tell the city's story. Nakanishi confirmed that the game takes place 30 years after the events of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, which saw Raccoon City get destroyed by a thermobaric strike.
Furthermore, Nakanishi confidently said that RE9 will surpass his previous works, such as Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil Revelations This raises the expectations for the game as both RE7 and RE Revelations were fan-favorites, which focused heavily on the series’ survival horror and delving deeper into their stories.
Despite the nostalgia with the return to Raccoon City, Capcom said on the game’s website that this will bring "A new era of survival horror."
Switching Perspectives
With that said, RE9 seems to be switching things up for the series as well as part of its "new era". As reported by IGN on June 11, the live demo of the game revealed that it will offer both first-person and third-person perspectives. Players will be able to switch between them in the options menu at any point in their playthrough.
The first titles of the series (RE1, 2, 3, etc.) primarily used fixed camera angles, which meant the camera was static in each room and would change as the player moved between areas. Meanwhile, RE4 was mainly played in third-person and became the standard for games that followed.
After going through more action-packed titles, Capcom went to first-person for RE7 and RE8 to immerse players further and focus on pure horror. The developers have tried to incorporate both first-person and third-person in one game, as they introduced a third-person option for RE8’s DLC, wherein the base game was in first-person.
With the release date revealed, fans can expect more details about the game in the coming months, especially for those awaiting confirmation on whether Leon Kennedy or other past characters will return to the series.
Resident Evil Requiem is set to release on February 27, 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. To stay up to date with the latest information about the game, check out our article below!
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Leon is NOT the Main Character in RESIDENT EVIL 9
Resident Evil Requiem Official Website
We Played Resident Evil Requiem In Both First-Person And Third-Person
