Hideki Kamiya was one of the four co-founders of PlatinumGames when the studio launched in 2007. Today, both he and the studio announced their upcoming separation on their respective X/Twitter accounts.
“We regret to announce that Hideki Kamiya will be leaving PlatinumGames on October 12, 2023,” the post on PlatinumGames’ account reads, “We are truly grateful for his creative ideas, leadership, and contribution to the growth of PlatinumGames from our start-up to this very day.”
One of Kamiya’s most well-known works with PlatinumGames is Bayonetta. Kamiya directed this “stylish action game” starting in January 2007, with the product launching over two years later on October 29 2009 in Japan with the North American release coming in January 2010. Originally for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Bayonetta was received with high praise and earned numerous awards, including IGN UK’s Best Game of 2010. The game spawned two sequels, with both having Kamiya back as a writer.
Kamiya had his start at Capcom, where he directed the hit game Resident Evil 2. Produced by another future PlatinumGames co-founder, Shinji Mikami, Resident Evil 2 has become synonymous with the survival horror genre. It was the game to first introduce fan favorites Claire Redfield, Leon Kennedy, and Ada Wong who would all go on to make recurring appearances in other Resident Evil games and the occasional movie.
Kamiya is also to thank for the Devil May Cry series at Capcom, serving as both director and story writer for the initial game. His work on the action-adventure hack-and-slash would eventually come full circle once Bayonetta came to life, as it features a similar combat system.
Fortunately, it does not seem like Kamiya is done with the gaming industry yet. In his statement on X/Twitter, Kamiya writes:
“I will continue to create in my Hideki Kamiya way. I hope you’ll keep your eyes peeled.”