Leon Kennedy actor Nick Apostolides explains why he thinks Capcom chose Leon to return for Resident Evil Requiem, when it could've easily been a Grace-centric game.
Speaking to GamesRadar+, Apostolides says: "They chose to partially center the story around Raccoon City. And if you're going to do that, you need to have certain characters come back, [from RE1, 2, or 3]. You know, you need somebody to come back that Raccoon City really affected." However, Raccoon City obviously affected most of the series' protagonists – arguably Jill Valentine more than anyone – but Capcom went with Leon.
Apostolides explains, "I think there'd just been so much momentum with Resident Evil 2 Remake and 4 Remake, his story, his arc. And they just wanted to, not complete it, but just continue that arc and find out where he is now in current day."
While he obviously would be a fan of his character returning, Apostolides notes that "it was a really good idea to do that, because so much of his PTSD and his career has been centered around that city and the RPD station. That's where it all began, and that has created a whole culture around this guy over the past 28 years, since 1998. So I think it was a really interesting decision, and it almost does feel like two different games."
And the merging of both Resident Evil's horror and action pedigree was the right move, as Apostolides explains, "This could have been just a solo Grace game, her own story, introducing a new protagonist, like they did in Resident Evil 7, in Village. It could have been that. And then they just perfectly married these two game styles and these two stories, they intertwine them brilliantly."
