The announcement that Hideki Kamiya was leaving Platinum Games was one of the shocks of the year. Kamiya wasn’t initially very forthcoming regarding his reasons for leaving the company that he been a major part of for many years. Today, IGN has published an interview with him asking about his decision to leave Platinum Games and what direction he plans to take next. You can read the full interview here.
You have talked about it already to some degree, but why did you decide to leave PlatinumGames?
“My work with PlatinumGames was based on a relationship of trust with the company. I decided to leave because I felt that the direction the company was heading in was different from my beliefs as a developer. Without that element of trust, I couldn’t continue working there, and so I left, so that I could continue working in what I consider to be the right way.
“I don’t think of games as products, but rather as works of art. I want to put my artistry into games and deliver games that could only be made by Hideki Kamiya, so that players can enjoy Hideki Kamiya games exactly as they are. I decided to leave the company and forge my own path, to continue making games that reflect the developers who made them.”
Do you have an idea in mind for your next game?
“Actually, yes, I already have a clear idea in mind. I would like to translate this vision in my head into a full proposal as soon as I am able to do so. And of course, I also have an idea of what I can do to make the project a reality. But if you ask me specifically what kind of game it will be, all I can say at this stage is, ‘It’ll be a Hideki Kamiya game’.
“One thing I would like to make clear is that I did not quit PlatinumGames so that I could make a particular game elsewhere, or that I quit the company to work with a specific partner under better conditions. I hear baseless rumors saying that I’ll be working with this or that person, but nothing has been decided yet. When I left PlatinumGames, I genuinely had no other plans lined up. After I quit, I spent some time just lying around watching movies and TV shows. But when I started to think about it, I found I already had a clear idea of a game I would like to make. I can’t start putting these ideas into action yet, but I’ve started to think about ways to potentially make it happen. That said, making games rarely goes the way you imagined, so I want to explore my options and find the route that works best for me.”
Thanks to GreatSong1 for sending in the news tip!
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