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Hideki Kamiya Explains PlatinumGames Departure

• Jacob Chambers
• December 15th, 2023

Hideki Kamiya shocked fans by leaving PlatinumGames this year. He now watches streaming content and makes YouTube videos, but after talking to IGN, we know why he left the company.

In a previous YouTube video, he said, “I left the company because I wanted to follow my beliefs as a game creator and to choose the path I think is right and move on.”. There’s not much information, so this new statement clarifies Platinum’s role in Kamiya’s decision:

“My work with PlatinumGames was based on a relationship of trust with the company. I decided to leave because I felt that the direction the company was heading in was different from my beliefs as a developer. Without that element of trust, I couldn’t continue working there, and so I left, so that I could continue working in what I consider to be the 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. I decided to leave the company and forge my own path, to continue making games that reflect the developers who made them.”

He adds that he informed the PlatinumGames team of his decision before inviting them to talk to him. “Many did,” says Kamiya. Some talked to me for two or three hours, some cried, and others thought my leaving was irresponsible. Some said they joined PlatinumGames to work with me.”

Kamiya also discusses a December 16, 2023, public conversation with friend and ex-mentor Shinji Mikami. He says they usually talk privately, but this will be their first public conversation, so he’s “really nervous.”.

For fans hoping for a game collaboration, Kamiya says, “I have absolutely nothing to announce, really. Just an unemployed person!”.

Still, we can hope.