Ever since Resident Evil Requiem's initial reveal showed a return to Raccoon City, theories and rumors about series' icon Leon Kennedy being the game's second playable character have been pretty much everywhere on the internet. Now, in an interesting switcharoo, a leak suggests that, yes, RE9 does have a second playable character but, no, it isn't Leon. (Potential spoilers ahead!)
A GameStop listing for Resident Evil Requiem's Deluxe Steelbook Edition on PC makes mention of one Rosemary Winters, AKA the daughter of RE7 and RE8's protagonist, Ethan Winters. According to the listing, which is still unchanged at the time of writing, the Deluxe Edition comes with "a unique cosmetic look for Rose's visor" and "3 exclusive outfits for Rosemary Winters," along with an expansion pass.
From what we know of the game so far, Resident Evil Requiem primarily takes place around 2028-ish, which would mean Rose is still a pre-teen child, ramping up the horror even further. There's a slight possibility that Rose's (still unconfirmed) portion of the game is set in the future, but that's just guesswork from me.
Of course, until Capcom itself says so or until the game comes out, we won't know what's happening for sure. But since this specific leak comes from the biggest games retailer in the USA, I'm a little more inclined to believe it.
Producer Masato Kumazawa recently called rumors of Leon's return as part of a DLC "fake news," perhaps killing hopes for fans of the dreamy horror icon.
