December 16th 2024.
Bayonetta, the beloved game studio known for creating titles like Bayonetta, Vanquish, NieR:Automata, and The Wonderful 101, may be facing a major shift as key staff members have departed from the company. This comes as former co-founder Hideki Kamiya sets up his own venture, leaving behind a legacy of 15 years at PlatinumGames.
Kamiya, who co-founded PlatinumGames in 2006 and served as vice president from 2017 to 2023, departed from the studio in October of last year to start a new team called Clovers. Their focus is on creating a sequel to the popular game Ōkami, which Kamiya directed during his time at Capcom. Many of the team members at Clovers have followed Kamiya from PlatinumGames, including cinematic director Kunihiko Tsuda, lead animator Hirokazu Takeuchi, and animator Rei Yamamoto.
In an interview with VGC, Kamiya and his business partner Kento Koyama confirmed that the majority of the 25 employees at Clovers came from PlatinumGames. However, they also have team members who share a similar mindset and have worked with Kamiya and Koyama in the past. While it has not been officially confirmed, it is speculated that some key employees at PlatinumGames, such as directors Kenji Saito, Takahisa Taura, and Masaki Yamanaka, may have also left the company to join Clovers.
Despite these departures, PlatinumGames still has a talented team of artists, designers, programmers, and musicians. In fact, one of their directors, Abebe Tinari, recently confirmed his departure from the studio, but reassured fans that there are still many talented individuals working at PlatinumGames and to not count them out just yet.
It is unclear what these departures mean for the future of PlatinumGames. The studio was last known to be working on a new project called Project G.G., with Kamiya as the director. However, since his departure, it is uncertain if the project is still in development. Kamiya has alluded to a change in direction at PlatinumGames as the reason for his departure, stating that he and Koyama share a similar mindset and philosophy about game development.
While PlatinumGames has yet to comment on their future, it seems that the end of an era may be upon the studio. With no new games currently in development beyond Project G.G., the future of PlatinumGames is uncertain. However, fans can still look back at their past titles, such as Nier: Automata, as a peak for the studio.
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In the meantime, let's keep an eye out for any updates or announcements from PlatinumGames, and hope for the best for their future.
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