Hideki Kamiya, the prolific action game director and co-founder of legendary developer PlatinumGames, surprised the industry when he left the studio on October 20th after almost 20 years there. He said the decision was made on his own initiative, but the question of why was still open. Now Kamiya spoke out and gave an understandable reason why he resigned from his long-time employer.
In a IGN interview, Kamiya said part of the reason is trust. He explained that the Japanese studio was “on the way there.” [a different direction]” about his ideals as a developer, which led him to think about his position at PlatinumGames. Another part, however, was creative freedom vs. business growth, traits that Kamiya recognized were at odds with each other. He said that while he’s a little afraid to go it alone, he ultimately wants to stay true to himself and his creative endeavors, something all artists can probably relate to.
IGN had asked Kamiya if he had any ideas for his next project if he returned to game development. He didn’t provide any specific details, but said he had “a clear idea” whether the situation was ideal. He explained:
You mean in terms of my ideal situation, right? Because even if I say I want to work at a big gaming company, it won’t happen if they don’t hire me. Even if I decide to start my own business, it won’t work unless I have employees who want to join me.
Could I do it alone? Even if I create something new as a freelancer and browse around, it won’t work if all I get are rejections. I can say I want to do X or Y, but I can’t do everything on my own. With this in mind, my main concern is to stay true to the philosophy of “creating things with freedom of thought.” PlatinumGames has prioritized growth as a company. But I personally have no interest in building a business for the sake of business growth. The desire to make interesting games is the first step for me, so I want to stay true to that. “Creating things with freedom of thought” means that when my friends get together and say they would like to work with me, I want to be able to find ways to work with them to make that happen so we can make games together.
Kamiya spits! I felt it so deep in my bones that I turned to dust. The fact that he doesn’t want to focus on growth for growth’s sake, but instead wants the space where he can bring his friends, is so heartwarming. That’s what we all want as artists, right? So that our friends can join us on the journey and make art without fear of “corporate restructuring,” “economic headwinds,” or whatever. “Creating things with freedom of thought,” as Kamiya put it. Maybe that’s why I’m after quitting He became a YouTuber. That’s probably a lot more fun and perhaps more creatively fulfilling than putting someone else in your pocket.
Kamiya – who is best known as the director of Bayonetta, Devil May Cry, and other games – is a funny and likeable YouTuber. Since his launch in September 2023, he has slowed down his upload pace, but his videos contain various interesting insights into his life as a game developer. In his video from November 23rdFor example, he answered questions about why he blocks Twitter users, the future of his game franchises (like Bayonetta), and more. Towards the end of the video, he explained what he would like to work on if (and when) he made games again, including Eyes And Viewtiful Joe Sequels. He’s just waiting for Capcom to call.
