Resident Evil Requiem: Dev’s Speak On New Main Character And Our Return to Raccoon City

Grace Ashcroft as the Main Protagonist

After the ending of Resident Evil Village, fans of the game expected the next installment of the series to pick up where it left off, with Rose (Ethan’s daughter), as the next protagonist in Resident Evil 9, especially after Village’s DLC dropped, where you actually get to play as Rose. At least that’s what I expected and sort of wanted just because of how much I loved Village. But Capcom pivoted into a new storyline, starring Grace Ashcroft, daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft, a main character in the 2003 spin-off Resident Evil Outbreak.

This direction was really surprising, and the devs decided on a fresh story, delving deeper into psychological horror rather than the action-packed gameplay we often see in the Resident Evil series. According to the game producer Masato Kumazawa, “By making Grace someone who reflects the player’s own vulnerability, we believe players will enjoy a gameplay experience filled with tension and immersion. Grace is a character with a low tolerance for fear, but she grows throughout the story and eventually begins to confront various horrors with courage.”

Resident Evil Requiem Returns to Raccoon City

As the series enters its 30th anniversary from when the very first game was released next year in March, Capcom wanted to do something special to commemorate its birthday. Returning to Raccoon City was definitely intentional and a great way to return to form for the series. After Resident Evil 3, the series expanded the Resident Evil universe, going to Spain, Louisiana, and even as far as Eastern Europe. Returning to the city that started it all, the devs believe it is the most fitting setting to continue the story of Raccon City and uncover more secrets of the Umbrella Corporation.

So what have we learned from the Gamescom 2025 live event? Resident Evil Requiem is set to take place in what is left of Raccoon City, 30 years after the events of the 2nd installment of the game. It will follow the story of Grace Ashcroft, an FBI technical analyst, going back to the ruins of Raccoon City. The new trailer reveals the death of her mother, Alyssa, so we can expect a deeper meaning to Grace’s return to her hometown that doesn’t have anything to do with work. As the date of Resident Evil Requiem’s release comes closer, we can only speculate how this story will unfold and if we will get to see any fan favorite characters return.