Shinji Mikami reveals why he left Tango Gameworks

Shinji Mikami is a legend in the games industry, Known best for his work on the original Resident Evil and its equally as revolutionary RE4, Mikami has a long and varied history in game development. In 2023, he left his studio Tango Gameworks, with a non-compete clause forcing him to go quiet for a while. Mikami is now back, having founded another new studio, and explains exactly why he left Tango Gameworks.

In an interview conducted by a Japanese talk show (and translated/transcribed by ‘Automation’), the creator discussed a range of topics. But in particular offered a great deal of insight into why he left the company early last year.

According to Mikami, the acquisition by Zenimax Media had an impact on the company’s status, saying “Tango Gameworks is not the name of a company, it's the name of a department. The name of the company is ZeniMax Asia K.K” – adding that he had to fight to keep the Tango Gameworks name even as a ‘brand’.

Though his departure finally took place in 2023, Mikami reportedly had plans to leave as far back as 8 years ago, but “the responsibility he felt towards ongoing projects prolonged his stay,” states Automaton.

That said, what fueled his eventual departure was the desire to offer more game experience for younger developers through the founding of a new indie studio – allowing for shorter dev cycles between games to increase the range of experience for the new talent.

Even within Tango Gameworks, Mikami held a strong position of wanting to help and teach the next generation of creators. It’s great to see that this mindset not only remains, but is stronger than ever – even if he wants to be able to move away from the survival horror genre.

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KitGuru says: What do you think of Mikami’s return? Are you excited for his next project? What’s your favourite non-horror Mikami game? Let us know down below.

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