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Earlier this year, Hideki Kamiya shocked his fans by announcing that he would leave PlatinumGames. Now unemployed, he’s spent much of his time watching streaming content and creating YouTube videos, but after sitting down with IGN, we now have a clearer picture of why he left the company.
He’s touched on this before, of course, stating in a previous YouTube video that “I left the company because I wanted to follow my beliefs as a game creator and to choose the path I think is right and move on“. There’s not a lot to go on, admittedly, so this new statement brings a bit more clarity on Platinum’s role in Kamiya’s decision:
“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.”
He also goes on to say that he told the entire PlatinumGames team about his decision before inviting members to speak with him on an individual basis. Kamiya states “Many of them did. Some of them sat and talked with me for two or three hours, some cried, and some others thought my decision to leave was irresponsible. Some of them said that they came to work at PlatinumGames because they wanted to work with me specifically.”
Kamiya also touches on an upcoming public conversation due to take place on December 16th, 2023 with friend and ex-mentor Shinji Mikami. He states that the two often hold private conversations where possible, but since this will be the first public conversation together, he’s admitted to feeling “really nervous”.
For those looking forward to a potential game collaboration between the two, Kamiya plays this down by simply stating “I have absolutely nothing to announce, really. I’m just an unemployed person!”.
We can still hope, though.
What do you think about Kamiya’s reasoning behind his departure from PlatinumGames? What do you want to see from him next? Let us know with a comment.