Hideaki Itsuno, considered one of Capcom’s most skilled and profitable designers, has left the corporate after working there for over 30 years. Itsuno was a key steward of the Satan Might Cry collection and the creator and director of Dragon’s Dogma and its current sequel, Dragon’s Dogma 2; his departure leaves a query mark hanging over the way forward for each collection, however notably Dragon’s Dogma, a novel tackle motion role-playing video games guided by Itsuno’s distinctive imaginative and prescient for the style.
“I have an announcement for all my followers,” Itsuno posted to X. “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!”
Like many at Capcom, Itsuno was a combating sport fanatic who reduce his enamel on the style earlier than shifting on to completely different kinds of sport; amongst different combating video games, he led growth on cult favorites Rival Faculties and Energy Stone. Within the early 2000s he was parachuted in to avoid wasting growth of the struggling motion sport sequel Satan Might Cry 2, with combined outcomes. However he would find yourself staying on to direct Satan Might Cry 3, 4, and 5, all nicely acquired by followers, in addition to oversee the event of Ninja Principle’s DmC: Satan Might Cry. Itsuno basically took the collection, which had been created by Capcom legend Shinji Mikami, and made it his personal.
In between the fourth and fifth Satan Might Cry video games, Itsuno was given the possibility to appreciate a long-held dream venture, which grew to become the primary Dragon’s Dogma. Combining the liberty of Western RPGs like The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion with Capcom-style motion fight and a novel system of AI companions referred to as pawns, Dragon’s Dogma initially met with confusion on its launch in 2012, however its status and following grew such {that a} sequel was greenlit. Dragon’s Dogma 2 launched in 2024 to vital acclaim — and nonetheless extra confusion from new gamers stunned by its hands-off design ethos.
As considered one of Capcom’s most distinctive creators of the trendy period, Itsuno’s subsequent transfer might be watched with nice curiosity.
