Summary
- Hideki Kamiya left PlatinumGames due to a shift towards restricting creators’ individuality.
- Kamiya cited Capcom Production Studio 4’s influence on his career as a reason for leaving.
- He said he couldn’t allow his soul to be compromised in an environment that didn’t value creators’ freedom.
Hideki Kamiya, best known for creating the Bayonetta series at PlatinumGames, left the company in 2023. The studio was at the forefront of action and combat-focussed games, boasting the likes of Devil May Cry and Nier: Automata as well. However, Kamiya has been pretty vocal about why he left the studio.
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In a recent interview, Kamiya dove into why he left the studio and the fundamental changes made by the management that resulted in him making the decision. He stated that he couldn’t continue working at a studio where the creators didn’t have freedom.
Speaking to GameSpark (via Automaton), Kamiya said, “If there’s anything I’m particular about, it’s Capcom Production Studio 4. Studio 4 is where my career started, and where I learned from Shinji Mikami – a person who has been absolutely indispensable to my career, both as a creator and as my superior.”
“Back then, we used to call what Mikami taught us the ‘spirit of the 4th’,” he said, recalling his time there. “The reason I left PlatinumGames was because the company’s way of thinking was gradually shifting towards a modern model of game development that doesn’t place importance on the creators’ individuality.”
“Even if it meant the end of my career as a creator, I couldn’t allow myself to kill my soul in order to work in an environment that I didn’t agree with.”
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It seems the restrictions the studio started putting on the developers and writers eventually got too much for Kamiya to handle, resulting in him leaving. His new studio, Clover, is currently working on a sequel for one of Kamiya’s most beloved games, Okami.
Recently, Kamiya tweeted to Xbox boss Phil Spencer, urging him to reignite the cancelled Scalebound. “Let’s do it, Phil!” he tweeted, along with a video of him reminiscing about development on the cancelled title.
- Released
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October 28, 2022
- ESRB
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