It would be an understatement to say that Kazuma Kaneko is a huge part of video game history. Being the creative mind behind many of the iconic designs and art of ATLUS’ Shin Megami Tensei franchise, which includes the ever-popular Persona series, has announced that he officially left ATLUS in 2023. This is a massive hit to Shin Megami Tensei fans, and JPRG fans as a whole, as Kaneko’s art is practically synonymous with the genre. Or at least, it would be, had Kaneko not announced that he was moving to COLOPL to work on a new IP with them, as he revealed in an interview with Personacentral here, and Kaneko seems very satisfied with his position at COLOPL.
In terms of people, working hours, and the atmosphere within the company, it’s very clean. Communication is easy, there’s no unnecessary competition or people arguing. We all have the same goal, and we engage in constructive discussions. For example, it’s very helpful when they think along with us and say, “How about this?” in response to our proposals.
So it appears that the legend is having a great time at COLOPL, and is even working on a new IP there as well, though it is in the very early stages:
Since we don’t yet have a clear picture of the game’s final form, I focused on creating a solid IP first. We’ve been brainstorming concepts like the story and the world, and from here, it could be turned into an RPG, an anime, or even a novel.
It’s good to see that, even though he came across an immense amount of success at ATLUS, Kaneko isn’t content to just sit where he made his name and is willing to try new things at new places. This echoes the story we covered earlier in the year where Shinji Mikami also left the company he helped build to move on to newer pastures. It’s good to see these legends of the industry still willing and able to innovate and create outside their comfort zones.