Today one of Capcom’s most beloved directors, Hideaki Itsuno, announced that he’s leaving the company.
According to the post on the developer’s personal X (formerly Twitter) account, he’s leaving at the end of August (which means today) after 30 years and 5 months of career at Capcom.
While he did not provide specific information, he is not leaving the gaming industry, as he promises to “start developing a new game in a new environment” starting in September.
Below you can read the full message.
I have an announcement for all my followers: At the end of August 2024, I will be leaving Capcom after 30 years and 5 months. Thank you for your long-term support of the games and characters I have been responsible for. I hope you will continue to support Capcom’s games and characters. From September, I will start developing a new game in a new environment.
I hope to create fun, beautiful games that are as memorable as, or even more memorable than, the ones I have created so far. Please stay tuned for my next creation!
Of course, we’ll keep an eye on the situation and we’ll let you know where Itsuno-san lands as soon as he announces it. For the moment, we don’t know whether he has been hired by a new company or he intends to go independent as many veteran Japanese developers have done over the past few years.
Itsuno-san joined Capcom in 1994 and only two years later co-directed Star Gladiator followed by the beloved Rival Schools: United By Fate.
Over the years, he worked on many popular series including Power Stone, Devil May Cry, and Dragon’s Dogma, culminating with the successful Dragon’s Dogma 2 released earlier this year.
If you’d like to play his latest game, Dragon’s Dogma 2 is currently available for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X. It provides an extensive and beautiful world with some rather intriguing simulation elements, interesting characters, and plenty of engaging JRPG gameplay.