Resident Evil Requiem devs explain Ada's absence, and remain coy on who Leon's mystery wife is

Leon Kennedy and Ada Wong are, categorically, Resident Evil's most iconic pairing. While Resident Evil Requiem breathed fresh life into the hit horror game series with new addition Grace, who is excellent in her own right, the question remains: where is Ada? RE9 is as much a homage to the series' past as it is a modern Resi experience, with plenty of nods littered throughout. Yet, by the time the credits rolled there was still no sign of RE2's leading lady. Well, in a new interview with Japanese outlet denfaminicogamer, Game Director Koshi Nakanish and Producer Masato Kumazawa explain why Ada didn't quite make the cut.

As translated from Japanese to English by 'Genki,' Nakanishi begins by saying that, during the development of Resident Evil Requiem, "various character names came up. But quite simply, within the story of Leon and Grace in this game, there weren't really many opportunities for her to appear, or rather, there weren't any scenes where it was necessary."

"During our discussions," Kumazawa chimes in, "we did talk about wanting to include that character, but because we were so satisfied with how Leon and Grace's story turned out, that was the decision we made." Honestly, that's more than fair enough. Resident Evil games seldom outstay their welcome, and there's every chance the inclusion of Ada would've added unnecessary chaff. There's also the possibility that, by turning RE9 back into the Leon and Ada show, Grace's story would've suffered.

But this is not to say we won't be seeing Ada in the future. Last month, Resi leaker 'Dusk Golem' reported on a claim from elsewhere that she's "very likely" to appear in Requiem's upcoming DLC. Of course, this should be taken with an unhealthy helping of salt, but it is something to be cognizant of going forward. Ada's appearance would potentially finally put to bed speculation surrounding Leon's mystery wife, which became a major talking point within the community after a wedding band was peeped on his finger.

When queried on who the lucky lady is in the same interview, Nakanishi says that "the identity of his [Leon's] partner isn't important," and that he "thought it was simply meant to portray Leon's change as he got older." When pushed on if we'll get a name someday, Nakanishi simply says "yes. [But] that 'someday' is not now." Well, it's something, at least. I suspect it isn't Ada that was on the receiving end of Leon's proposal, but I guess we'll see should the rumor mill come up trumps.