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Hideki Kamiya is an outspoken guy. The developer has been an active figure within the industry for decades now, beginning his career under Shinji Mikami working on the first Resident Evil game. In the years since he’s been the driving force behind some of the most memorable games of the past 20 years, including Ōkami, Viewtiful Joe, Bayonetta, and Devil May Cry, to name a few. In 2023, after years at Platinum Games, Kamiya left to form yet another new studio, Clovers, which is working on the sequel to Ōkami.
While that news has excited many, fans are likely still wondering what compelled Kamiya to split from Platinum in the first place. In a new interview with Japanese outlet Game*Spark, Kamiya offered some insight into his thinking behind the decision:
The reason I left PlatinumGames was because the company’s approach was gradually shifting towards modern game development, as opposed to personalization, and we were moving away from the ideal spirit that I held dear.
Leaving PlatinumGames after 16 years was a huge event in my life, and I didn’t have a vision for what I would do after that, so I made the decision with the understanding that “this may be the end of my career as a creator.” Even if that were to happen, I couldn’t allow myself to kill my soul by working in an environment I didn’t want.
It’s interesting that Platinum would come to be a place that Kamiya would have such negative feelings about considering he helped found the company in the first place. Regardless, if it wasn’t already quite clear, Kamiya is a strong personality who follows his heart when it comes to making games. With Clovers hard at work on the Ōkami sequel, fans will eventually get to see if this move by Kamiya pays off for him. If nothing else, he is at the very least sticking to his principles as a creator.
Source: Game*Spark
It’s a shame, but not too surprising, to see Platinum go through this — they’re financially backed by Tencent. When private equity (or going public, or whatever the financial vehicle) gets its hooks into an organization, profitability and growth inevitably become the primary goals, and whatever artistry and creativity which built them up in the first place get pushed aside.
Lots of things matter in life besides money. I think most individual humans would agree on that, but all too often, especially in groups, our actions indicate otherwise.