Hideaki Itsuno's New Studio Expands with Second Japanese Office
Renowned game director Hideaki Itsuno, celebrated for his work on the Devil May Cry and Dragon's Dogma series, has announced the expansion of his new venture, LightSpeed Japan Studio. After departing Capcom last summer following a distinguished career of over 30 years, Itsuno established and now leads the Japanese division of LightSpeed Studio, backed by Tencent. While the studio initially operated solely from Tokyo, developers have recently completed setting up a brand-new office in Osaka, significantly bolstering their capabilities.
LightSpeed Japan Studio is currently hard at work on a 'next-generation AAA cross-platform action game,' based on an entirely new intellectual property. Specific details about this ambitious project remain under wraps, but Itsuno is not alone in this endeavor. Several esteemed Capcom veterans have joined the newly formed Osaka office, bringing a wealth of experience to the team. These include:
- Bingo Morihashi: A veteran screenwriter and narrative director, known for crafting the compelling stories in the Devil May Cry and Dragon's Dogma series.
- Daigo Ikeno: An accomplished illustrator and art director, whose impressive portfolio includes character design for iconic titles like Street Fighter III 3rd Strike, Street Fighter IV, Devil May Cry 2, Devil May Cry 3, and Devil May Cry 5.
- Artist Bengus: An acclaimed illustrator and art designer, previously responsible for the distinctive 2D character designs in the Darkstalkers and Marvel vs. Capcom series, and also contributed to the anime Battle Spirits: Shounen Gekiha Dan.
Itsuno expressed his enthusiasm for the expansion, stating, “By opening studios in both Tokyo and Osaka, we've established a system that allows us to attract the very best Japanese video game development talent. Our newly hired senior staff are already demonstrating leadership in story creation, art direction, and character design. They will be the driving force behind our innovative AAA action game. It's incredibly rare in Japan these days to create an original intellectual property of this caliber from scratch, and that's exactly what we're striving for.”
The studio currently employs around 40 individuals, combining fresh talent with seasoned industry experts. While the team is growing and actively developing their inaugural title, there is no official word yet on when LightSpeed Japan Studio plans to announce its debut game. Players can look forward to seeing what this powerhouse of talent, led by one of gaming's most celebrated directors, will bring to the industry next.
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