Hideki Kamiya, the prolific action game director who co-founded the legendary developer PlatinumGames, surprised the industry when he left the studio behind on October 20 after nearly 20 years there. He said the decision was of his own accord, but questions about why still lingered. Now, Kamiya’s spoken out to share an understandable reason for why he quit his longtime employer.
In an IGN interview, Kamiya said part of the reason came down to trust. He explained that the Japanese studio was “heading in [a different direction]” from his ideals as a developer, prompting him to consider his standing at PlatinumGames. Another part, though, was creative freedom vs. company growth, traits Kamiya recognized were at odds with each other. He said that, while there’s a small fear of going 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 of what his next project would be if he were to return to game development. He didn’t give any specifics here but said that he had “a clear idea in mind” if 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 major game company, if they don’t choose to hire me then it won’t happen. Even if I choose to start my own company, that won’t work unless I have staff who want to join me.
Could I go it alone? Even if I create something new as a freelancer and shop it around, that won’t work if I get nothing but rejections. I can say I want to do X or Y, but I can’t realize it all by myself. With all of that in mind, my main intention is to stay true to the philosophy of “creating things with freedom of thought.” PlatinumGames has placed a priority on growing as a company. But I personally have no interest in growing a company for the sake of corporate 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 if my friends come together and say they would like to work with me, I want to be able to consider ways to collaborate with them to make it happen, so that we can make games together.
Kamiya is spitting! I felt this so deep in my bones, I’m crumbling to dust. That he doesn’t want to focus on growth for the sake of growth and, instead, wants the space to bring his friends along is so heartwarming. That’s what we all want as artists, right? For our friends to join us on the ride, to make art without the fear of “corporate restructurings” or “economic headwinds” or whatever else. “Creating things with the freedom of thought,” as Kamiya put it. Maybe that’s why, after quitting, he became a YouTuber. That’s probably way more fun and, perhaps, way more creatively fulfilling than lining someone else’s pockets.
Kamiya—who’s best known as the director of Bayonetta, Devil May Cry, and other games—is a funny and relatable YouTuber. He’s slowed down his upload pace since starting in September 2023, but his videos contain various interesting nuggets about his life as a game developer. In his November 23 video, for example, he answered questions about why he blocks Twitter users, the future of his game franchises (like Bayonetta), and more. Toward the end of the video, he explained what he’d like to work on if (and when) he gets back to making games, which includes Okami and Viewtiful Joe sequels. He’s just waiting on Capcom to call.