Highlights

  • Hideki Kamiya left PlatinumGames because he felt the company was heading in a different direction from his own viewpoint as a developer.
  • Kamiya sees games as works of art and wants to create games that reflect his own artistry and can only be made by him.
  • Kamiya has started a YouTube channel to interact with fans.

Hideki Kamiya, the creator of the Bayonetta series, has revealed why he left the company that he helped co-found, PlatinumGames. Kamiya was one of the three high-profile employees who left Capcom in 2006, alongside Atsushi Inaba and Shinji Mikami. Alongside Tatsuya Minami of Odd Inc., the four would form PlatinumGames. After developing action games like Devil May Cry at Capcom, Kamiya would create Bayonetta, one of Platinum's most popular franchises. While Kamiya directed the first game, he took on a supervisory position for its sequels.

After a 15-year tenure at the studio, many fans were shocked when Kamiya announced his departure from PlatinumGames. Now Kamiya recently explained why he decided to leave PlatinumGames, along with his future plans.

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Bayonetta Creator Expects Franchise to Continue Without Him

Former PlatinumGames developer and Bayonetta creator Hideki Kamiya expects the bombastic action series will continue without his direction.

In an interview with IGN Japan, one of the first questions Kamiya was asked was regarding his reason for leaving the company. Kamiya states that his work at PlatinumGames was built on a relationship of trust, deciding to leave when he felt the company was heading in a direction that was different from his viewpoint as a developer. As such, he left because he wanted to continue working in what he considered was his "right way." "I don't think of games as products, but rather as works of art. I want to put my artistry into games and deliver games that could only be made by Hideki Kamiya, so that players can enjoy Hideki Kamiya games exactly as they are," Kamiya told IGN. "I decided to leave the company and forge my own path, to continue making games that reflect the developers who made them."

PlatinumGames Kamiya Quit Box Youtube Channel

When the Bayonetta creator was asked how PlatinumGames' president and co-founder Atsushi Inaba asked how he reacted, Kamiya recalled that both of them had a long discussion about his decision to leave. After talking it out thoroughly and reaching a conclusion they were both satisfied with, he broke the news to his development teams at Platinum, who reacted in a variety of ways.

I don't think of games as products, but rather as works of art. I want to put my artistry into games and deliver games that could only be made by Hideki Kamiya, so that players can enjoy Hideki Kamiya games exactly as they are. I decided to leave the company and forge my own path, to continue making games that reflect the developers who made them.

After quitting PlatinumGames, Kamiya decided to start a YouTube channel, which was a way he could interact with his fans, along with reiterating that he is unable to develop games for the next year due to his contract. He already has some ideas in mind about what he will do next, however. Kamiya also takes the time to dispel any rumors that there is bad blood between him and Platinum. Kamiya ends the IGN interview by beckoning fans to keep up with his thoughts either on Twitter or YouTube.