Hideki Kamiya claims staying at PlatinumGames would’ve killed his “artistic spirit”

One of the biggest surprise announcements during The Game Awards was the unveiling of Okami 2. Perhaps even more of a surprise however was the fact that the sequel is being directed by Hideki Kamiya himself – who left Capcom all the way back in 2006. In a lengthy interview, the director has explained his departure from PlatinumGames and return to Capcom and Okami.

Taking part in an interview conducted by the Japanese publication Denfaminico, Kamiya was asked to clarify exactly why he chose to leave PlatinumGames back in 2023, with him stating:

“This is purely my personal opinion, but I thought, ‘If I continue working here, my artistic spirit will die.’ As a result, I thought that I should not release a work that I cannot take responsibility for to the users.”

Giving some credit to his old company, Kamiya continued, “However, I don't think this is a matter of ‘which is better or worse.’ I can understand the way PlatinumGames is as a company and its logic, and I was in the position of vice president myself, but as an individual named Hideki Kamiya, I was unable to embrace that way of thinking.”

Kamiya is clearly a much more creativity-focused developer – something which his role at PlatinumGames seemed to put a dampener on. As such, it will be exciting to see what a more creatively free Kamiya can come up with.

KitGuru Says: Were you surprised by the announcement of Okami 2? Could it be as good as the first game? What else would you like to see Kamiya work on next? Let us know down below.

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