After a long wait,Resident Evil 9was finally revealed asResident Evil Requiem, with a trailer at the 2025 Summer Game Fest. There was actually a gameplay showcase shown behind closed doors at the event that we sadly won’t get a glimpse of until later this Summer. The game’scoming out on July 06, 2025, and while it looks incredibly promising, some might be perplexed by the main character, Grace Ashcroft.
Many were expecting areturning character like Leon S. Kennedy, who doesn’t appear directly in the trailer. Grace actually has ties to the olderREgames, but unless you’re a hardcore fan, you probably wouldn’t have noticed. However, even for hardcore fans, this daughter of a beloved character shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise,given a hint inResident Evil 7: Biohazardback in 2017.
A Blast From The Past Is Coming In Requiem
When Grace Ashcroft was revealed live during the Summer Game Fest stream, I knew it sounded familiar, but I still wasn’t sure if this wasResident Evil 9. It turns out Grace Ashcroft is thedaughter of Alyssa Ashcroft fromResident Evil Outbreak. TheOutbreakgames have to be themost underratedResident Eviltitles, and Alyssa proved to be a fan favorite among the roster. She had a lockpick, allowing her to enter most locked rooms without needing to find the key.
It took a while for locked doors to open via this method, but it was still incredibly useful.Outbreakalso took place in Raccoon City, the once quiet, peaceful town that players explored throughout the originalResident Eviltrilogy.Raccoon City is back inResident Evil Requiem, so it makes sense to feature a lead character with ties to this iconic location.
From the trailer, it appears that Grace has a dark past, likely related to her mother, and this should be explored in the finished game. While theOutbreakcallback is awesome to see,Capcom was likely planning this for quite some time.
Capcom Teased Ashcroft In Resident Evil 7
The Seeds Were Planted 8 Years Ago
Resident Evil Requiemis not the first newerREgame to mention Alyssa Ashcroft in some capacity. In fact,Resident Evil 7: Biohazarddid it first, and even at the time, this was a great Easter egg, but it’s even more interesting in hindsight. In a file present in the Baker family house main hall, you’llfind a 2016 report by Alyssa Ashcroftdetailing the numerous disappearances in South Louisiana.
It’s interesting to see this legacy protagonist report on what’s going down in theResident Eviluniverse, and this was one ofthe only mentions of priorREcharacters in the game. Looking back, this Easter egg was very much setting upResident Evil 9, and with Alyssa still being active in 2016, it’ll be interesting to see what happened to her after that date. Did Alyssa have an encounter with the Molded after looking into the South Louisiana disappearances?
After all, Alyssa only appears in brief flashbacks in the trailer, with her daughter Grace filling in the spot as the protagonist. It’s also worth noting thatResident Evil 7: BiohazardandResident Evil Requiemshare the same director, Koshi Nakanishi. That may have played a role in the Ashcroft family returning in Capcom’s newestREgame. There are still many questions surroundingResident Evil Requiemregarding its story, gameplay, and characters, but the new protagonist is something hardcore fans should have seen coming, based on what was shown inResident Evil 7.
