It seems Leon Kennedy is too tied up to make an appearance in the upcoming Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D.

Earlier this week it was announced that Barry Burton would be a member of the Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D cast. When the game is released on July 1st in Europe gamers will be able to play as eight different playable characters from across the franchise: Chris Redfield, Albert Wesker, Hunk, Claire Redfield, Jack Krauser, Jill Valentine, Barry Burton and Rebecca Chambers.

Some fans had been hoping that Resident Evil 2s' Leon Kennedy would be added at the last minute but Capcom has confirmed that this will not happen. Speaking to Eurogamer producer Masachika Kawata stated that Leon Kennedy is simply too busy.

Mr. Kawata stated that Leon is "all tied up for Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City," the upcoming Xbox 360 title, before adding: "He couldn't make his appearance in Mercenaries." Any hopes of a post-launch addition through downloadable content has also been squashed as he also stated that Capcom has no plans for DLC for the title but they do monitor gamers interests.

Masachika Kawata also explained why Barry Burton has made a sudden return. It seems it wasn't until recently Capcom became aware just how popular the character was in the West and while many Western gamers find his dialogue amusing it is not Capcom's intention. According to Mr. Kawata the comedic perception of Barry Burton is simply due to the process of translation and he is in fact a serious family-orientated man.