With Resident Evil Requiem launching on February 27 for Nintendo Switch 2, PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, developer Capcom is revealing more about the game. This includes showcasing series mainstay Leon S. Kennedy, who has become hotter as he’s gotten older, and we can thank the company’s female staff for that.
In an interview with Automaton, director Koshi Nakanishi discussed the “ikeoji” phenomenon that emerged after Leon was revealed during The Game Awards on December 11. (“Ikeoji” roughly translates to “an attractive or cool older man,” typically in their late 30s to early 60s.) Nakanishi explained that it took quite a bit of time to perfect Leon’s older appearance, with Capcom’s female staff contributing a lot of fine details to make sure the zombie-killing badass was as hot as possible.
“We’ve spent quite a lot of time polishing Leon’s visuals,” Nakanishi said in a joint media interview. “Leon has many fans among Capcom employees, and women in particular were pretty strict when reviewing his design. They would point out and comment on even the finest details like the wrinkles on his neck. When I mentioned that story in the past, a female fan told me, ‘The women developers at Capcom did a really good job.’ Throughout the development process, Leon was thoroughly refined, and I think we managed to come through with a design that would make anyone’s heart throb.”
