“I Couldn’t Allow Myself To Kill My Soul” – Kamiya Dives Deeper On Why He Left PlatinumGames

Hideki Kamiya has spoken pretty openly about his decision to leave PlatinumGames in late 2023, but in a new interview with Japanese outlet Game*Spark, he dived even deeper into what prompted his departure from the Bayonetta studio.

Kamiya cut his teeth in the games industry at Capcom’s Studio 4, where he worked under Resident Evil director Shinji Mikami, “a person who has been absolutely indispensable to my career,” Kamiya told Game*Spark (translated by Automaton), “both as a creator and as my superior”.

It was Mikami’s approach to game production that Kamiya wanted to maintain at PlatinumGames, though he felt that the studio was “gradually shifting towards a modern model of game development that doesn’t place importance on the creators’ individuality,” prompting his sudden departure. ““Even if it meant the end of my career as a creator,” Kamiya continued, “I couldn’t allow myself to kill my soul in order to work in an environment that I didn’t agree with”.

It’s a typically dramatic statement from Kamiya, but hey, he’s a man of principle. Aiming for a “fresh start”, the Bayonetta creator said that he’s trying to install some of Mikami’s spirit to his new studio, Clovers. He’s doing this not by directly quoting his former mentor, but rather by using his approach as guidance: “I have always made decisions based on his teachings, and I have shared them with the production team”.

“I believe that this spirit will be passed down from generation to generation,” Kamiya concluded, “and I have incorporated it into our company name to reaffirm the things I have valued in my many years as a creator”.

While PlatinumGames continues to chip away at Ninja Gaiden 4, the next big project for Clovers is the recently-announced Okami sequel, which will see Kamiya stepping back into the director’s seat.