The announcement that Hideki Kamiya was leaving Platinum Games was one of the shocks of the year. Kamiya was initially tight-lipped about his reasons for leaving the company he has been a major part of for years. Today, IGN published an interview with him asking about his decision to leave Platinum Games and where he plans to go next. You can read the full interview here.
You’ve talked about it a bit before, but why did you decide to leave PlatinumGames?
“I work with PlatinumGames was based on a relationship of trust with the company. I decided to leave because I felt the direction the company was going was different from my beliefs as a developer. Without that element of trust, I couldn’t continue to work there and I left, so that I could continue to work in the way I felt was right.
“I don’t think of games as products, but as works of art. I want to put my skills into games and deliver games that only Hideki Kamiya can make, so that players can enjoy Hideki Kamiya’s games exactly as they are. I decided to leave the company and go my own way, continue to make games that reflect the developers who made them.”
Have an idea in mind for your next game?
“Actually, yes, I already have a clear idea in mind. I would like to turn this vision in my head into a full proposal as soon as I can 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 will be a Hideki Kamiya game’.
“One thing I’d like to clarify is that I didn’t leave PlatinumGames to make a particular game elsewhere, or that I left the company to work with a particular partner on better terms. I hear unsubstantiated rumors that I will work with this person or that person, but nothing has been decided yet. When I left PlatinumGames, I had no other plans. After I quit, I spent some time just laying around watching movies and TV shows. But when I started thinking about it, I found that I already had a clear idea of the game I wanted to make. I can’t start putting those ideas into action yet, but I’ve started thinking about ways to potentially make it happen. However, game development rarely goes the way you envision, so I want to explore my options and find the path that works best for me.”
Thanks to GreatSong1 for sending the news tip!
