Hideki Kamiya, the creator of the Bayonetta game series and co-founder of PlatinumGames, recently announced his departure from the company in September. In a recent interview with IGN, he explained his reasons for leaving.
Kamiya expressed that he felt his game development direction was conflicting with the company’s vision. This misalignment caused a decrease in trust, making it difficult for him to continue working at PlatinumGames. As a result, he made the decision to leave and focus on creating games in his own unique style. Rather than viewing games as products, he sees them as works of art, fully embodying his artistic vision for fans to enjoy as “Hideki Kamiya’s games.”
Kamiya had a deep conversation with Atsushi Inaba, the CEO and co-founder of PlatinumGames, and they both agreed that his departure was the most suitable solution. While Inaba had his own set of beliefs and business goals as CEO, which focused on growing the company, Kamiya did not share the same interests.
Regarding his decision to start his own YouTube channel after leaving, Kamiya initially did it for fun. He took inspiration from unboxing videos he had seen where people leaving a company had to pack up their personal belongings in a cardboard box. This sparked his desire to create videos in a similar fashion. However, as he continued to upload content, he received a plethora of questions from fans. This transformed his channel into a platform for direct communication where he could engage with fans, answer their questions, and have meaningful conversations. He found that this direct interaction yielded better results than simply communicating through written text on Twitter.
Currently, Kamiya remains jobless. He has not decided whether to work for another game company or start his own. The only plan he is focused on right now is creating interesting games that allow him full creative freedom. He has already begun brainstorming ideas for new games and intends to present project development proposals in the near future.
PlatinumGames was founded in 2007 by three former members of Capcom’s Clover Studio: Shinji Mikami, Atsushi Inaba, and Hideki Kamiya, along with Tatsuya Minami, another former Capcom employee who later started his own company called Odds. Presently, PlatinumGames is left with two co-founders, Atsushi Inaba and Tatsuya Minami, as Shinji Mikami left in 2010 to establish his own company, Tango Gameworks, and recently departed from Tango this year.
TLDR: Hideki Kamiya, creator of Bayonetta and co-founder of PlatinumGames, has left the company due to conflicting visions and decreased trust. He plans to create games in his own unique style and has started a YouTube channel to engage with fans. He is brainstorming new game ideas and intends to present project development proposals soon. PlatinumGames was founded by former Capcom members and is now led by Atsushi Inaba and Tatsuya Minami, as Shinji Mikami has gone on to create his own company.
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