Leon Mocked Online for Ruining a Porsche, Official Decides to Send Him to Professional Racing Track Training

Resident Evil 9: Requiem officially launched on PC/PS5/Switch 2/XSX on February 27. In a pre-release trailer, Leon Kennedy appeared behind the wheel of a customized Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT — what should have been a routine brand partnership placement. The player community, however, had other ideas.

The comment section was quickly flooded with votes of "no confidence." Players dug up Leon's long history of vehicular misadventures and collectively declared the Cayenne doomed — destined to crash through the RPD police station, or hurtle off a cliff in a fiery wreck. The intensity of the meme-fueled enthusiasm likely caught Porsche's marketing team completely off guard.

Rather than ignore the backlash, Porsche leaned in. The brand released a "training video" featuring Leon cosplayer Lacy James heading to an actual racetrack, where Porsche racing legend Patrick Long put her through drift and performance driving drills. At the end of the video, "Leon" looks straight into the camera and declares: Porsche trusts Leon.

From a marketing execution standpoint, this response delivered strong value for money. Instead of dismissing the player jokes, Porsche transformed them into an interactive content moment — one that acknowledged the meme culture while simultaneously showcasing the Cayenne Turbo GT's performance credentials. A brand willing to step down from its pedestal and play along with the gaming ecosystem signals, at the very least, that this collaboration was taken seriously.

As for whether Leon can keep his luxury ride in one piece this time — the game itself will have to answer that.