Today’s Resident Evil Requiem showcase was a bit of a disappointment, but there were some cool reveals all the same

A new Resident Evil Showcase just closed out with a fun announcement that has implications for gamers just about everywhere…but it’s not the demo that everyone was hoping for.

With today’s showcase, gamers everywhere were hoping that Resident Evil Requiem would follow a trend of recent RE games, including Resident Evil 7, Resident Evil Village, and Resident Evil 4 Remake all having playable demos ahead of launch. And with the quality presented in each demo, I’d say that they probably helped generate even more sales for the franchise. I expected RE9 to do the same, but alas, nothing. Not yet, anyway.

During today’s showcase, though, Capcom did show off the first look at gameplay from Leon Kennedy’s action gameplay segments, played in third-person, with a similar vibe to the Resident Evil 4 remake’s gameplay. Leon’s focus is on shooting enemies, but he also has a hatchet he can use to parry melee attacks, and he can even pick up weapons like the enemy’s chainsaw to fight back.

This sort of gameplay is the foil to Grace Ashcroft’s more horror-oriented gameplay in close-quarters, cramped areas, creating a back-and-forth to keep players on their toes. Grace isn’t defenseless, however, as the stream showed off a massive hand cannon she can use to fight back. Both segments can be played in either first-person or third-person, and either character can have a dedicated perspective either way.

Capcom also showed off the return of Ink Ribbons for game saves, some new crafting mechanics, and a new enemy type in the game: zombies that retain some minor characteristics of their past lives. The humanity is lingering within the undead this time, and it makes for some unsettling behaviors.

While the rest of the showcase was full of ads for things like collabs with Porsche and Hamilton watches, many left disappointed that there were no real big reveals or a demo shadowdrop like people were hoping for, myself included.

Still, RE9 is one of my most anticipated titles of 2026. It drops in just over a month on Feb. 27, and I can’t wait to get my grubby hands on it, so check out the showcase from today to tide you over.