• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Shinji Mikami is leaving Tango Gameworks

GHG

GHG

Gold Member
Banjo64 said:
GHG GHG brother, it’s time to post the graphic.
Click to expand...

With pleasure.


qEmGMsw_d.webp


What a bunch of Sony fanatics!
 
Northeastmonk

Northeastmonk

Gold Member
DevilHunterX0 said:
God Hand remake on PS5, maybe?
Click to expand...
They’d probably outsource that to some developer we’ve never heard from before.

I really liked both EW games. I wonder if he had a lot of creative freedom where he was at. Working for a company owned by almighty MS. Idk if he’s the type to kickstart his own smaller project, but he’s probably smarter about the risks involved with doing so.
 
NikuNashi

NikuNashi

Member
Meanwhile in an izakaya in Tokyo.

Friend : What you been up to recently?

Mikami: just released a great new game.

Friend : Nice, I will play it, Is it on switch?

Mikami: Nope.

Friend: Is it on PS5?

Mikami: Nope, its on Xbox.

Friend: Whats an X box?

Mikami : Oh fck this.
 
Last edited:
Hugare

Hugare

Member
Dude havent directed a game for 10 years

When they announced that Hifi Rush was directed by another dude yet again, I went "Jesus, whats Mikami really doing?"

Hope that wherever he goes next, he actually puts his hands on deck this time

Always sad to see the creator of the company leaving it. Must affect morale of the whole crew a lot.
 
Last edited:
AlteredForms

AlteredForms

Banned
But where's he going to go though? Mikami departed Capcom after a long run and becoming disillusioned with survival horror, then he forms Tango Gameworks to bring it back to the roots with The Evil Within and now he's leaving there. Clearly he's heading for retirement, I don't see another game in the works with him.
 
Punished Miku

Punished Miku

Gold Member
SlimySnake said:
This is fucking nuts. Microsoft is willing to spend $70 billion on cod but won’t bother retaining legendary talent. I’m just baffled by this.
Click to expand...
I'm sure MS would have preferred for him to stay, so I don't know why you think they just didn't even notice that a studio head was leaving or didn't care.
 
Last edited:
Punished Miku

Punished Miku

Gold Member
.Pennywise said:
Huh? He didn't even direct TEW2, his role at Tango became more of an Executive Producer than anything.

But here we are with people calling Tango doomed already
Click to expand...
It's not doomed yet, but they need to explain what is going on over there. They don't yet know who the new studio head is even, which is bizarre. You would announce this kind of thing and announce the replacement at the same time. Mikami may not have been directly involved in development, but he would be a factor in talent retention and recruitment. And they lost the Ghostwire director mid-development as well in a very public way. Just a huge unknown at the moment.
 
SteelCurtain 59

SteelCurtain 59

Member
-Highly successful and wealthy studio head leaves after being in the same position for THIRTEEN YEARS and being 58 years old.

-Neogaf- "He's definitely leaving because he hates Microsoft and wants to make a Sony game, that's literally the only possible reason for him to leave"

Maybe that's true, but I'd guess there are scenarios that are more likely, like wanting to take a break, or lower his workload, or retire, or pursue some other hobbies, or wants a new challenge or to start from scratch with a new studio. We won't know unless he makes some official statement about it, but assuming it's primarily because of Microsoft with no evidence to back it up and not any number of other possible scenarios just shows your bias
 
adamsapple

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
He's made some of the best games of my lifetime. Hope he has a nice retirement.

So many embarrassing replies in this topic so far, the guy's mission statement for making Tango Gameworks was that he wanted to train the next generation of directors. Johannas is an excellent protege.
 
Ev1L AuRoN

Ev1L AuRoN

Member
The real problem of those acquisitions is how to retain talent. Imagine Microsoft owning COD but losing the people who made the game what it is. It will be their next Halo.
 
decisions

decisions

Member
Honestly I am happy about this, unless he retires (which if he did, he would absolutely deserve it).

I don't really think Tango's output has been amazing (even Hi-fi Rush I found to be just OK), would much rather see him working at one of the bigger Japanese companies like Capcom, or joining that M-Two startup would even be more exciting. I bet he was planning this since MS bought ZeniMax.
 
Last edited:
ChorizoPicozo

ChorizoPicozo

Member
adamsapple said:
He's made some of the best games of my lifetime. Hope he has a nice retirement.

So many embarrassing replies in this topic so far, the guy's mission statement for making Tango Gameworks was that he wanted to train the next generation of directors. Johannas is an excellent protege.
Click to expand...
"So many embarrassing replies in this topic"

oh, the irony.
 
ChorizoPicozo

ChorizoPicozo

Member
no surprising, faster than i thought tho.
we all know that sony paid a lot of money to retain talent (for a specific amount of time) with the Bungie acquisition. after that time some people will leave as well.
 
Fbh

Fbh

Member
Pretty surprising though at least he does seem to have spent the last 10 years fostering new talent to take over after him.
While I'm sure he still had a significant role in recent Tango games, he hasn't been credited as a director on anything since TEW1

At his age I wonder if he'll go somewhere else or retire.
 
Last edited:
ChorizoPicozo

ChorizoPicozo

Member
Fbh said:
Pretty surprising though at least he does seem to have spent the last 10 years fostering new talent to take over after him.
While I'm sure he still had a significant role in recent Tango games, he hasn't been credited as a director on anything since TEW1

At his age I wonder if he'll go somewhere else or retire.
Click to expand...
someone will correct you
 
Jaybe

Jaybe

Member
Probably didn’t want to make keep making games that his friends and family wouldn’t play. I can imagine being psyched for people you know personally and that are fans of your games to play your product youve been working years on like HiFi Rush, then bam, exclusive to systems barely in Japan, and shadow dropped too.
 
E

Elios83

Member
At his age starting a new studio is not an easy task but it's possible, retiring is a realistic option if he got tired of his job but I guess the most likely outcome is that he'll join an other publisher.
 
Punished Miku

Punished Miku

Gold Member
Elios83 said:
At his age starting a new studio is not an easy task but it's possible, retiring is a realistic option if he got tired of his job but I guess the most likely outcome is that he'll join an other publisher.
Click to expand...
He's not starting a new studio. Zero chance.

He collaborated with Platinum for just 1 game. He will likely collaborate with an existing studio for 1 game if he's not retiring.
 
O

Ozriel

M$FT
Do people think there’s no succession planning in gaming? Or that talent and skill is the sole province of the old guard.

Mario and Zelda games didn’t become shite as soon as Miyamoto stopped active game development. Mikami moved on and yet Resident Evil is still going strong.

The man’s been planning to retire from Tango and do something different, so this isn’t particularly surprising. Now if it were John Johanas leaving…that would be cause for alarm.
 
TintoConCasera

TintoConCasera

I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
Huge miss for MS.

Still, I wouldn't doompost on Tango just yet, their last game was pretty cool and Mikami was credited just as an executive something.
 
yurinka

yurinka

Member
Very talented dude, will be missed:
  • Game designer: Who Framed Roger Rabbit (GB), Aladdin (SNES), Goof Troop
  • Writer: Killer 7
  • Director: RE, RE Director's Cut, Dino Crisis, RE4, P.N.03, God Hand, Vanquish, Evil Within
  • Producer: RE2, RE3, Dino Crisis, RE Code Veronica, Steel Battalion, ("Creative producer") Shadows of the Damned
  • Executive producer: Dino Crisis 2, Devil May Cry, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Dino Crisis 3, Viewtiful Joe, Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations, Killer 7, Ace Attorney - Justice for All, Evil Within 2, Hi-Fi Rush
  • Advisor or executive advisor: Onimusha, RE 0, Resident Evil: Gaiden
Varteras said:
I do recall there being rumors that he wasn't happy with Zenimax. This was before the acquisition.
Click to expand...
He's 57 years old, so fucking rich and sold his studio some years ago. Very likely he's simply retiring to enjoy his Ferrari.
 
Last edited:
SF Kosmo

SF Kosmo

Al Jazeera Special Reporter
He's been pretty hands off in recent years, at least creatively, which one has to assume is a choice. It's hard to imagine what else he could be looking for besides running his own successful studio. Maybe he got hired to work on a major project or IP elsewhere and couldn't say no.
 
adamsapple

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
yurinka said:
He's 57 years old, so fucking rich and sold his studio some years ago. Very likely he's simply retiring to enjoy his Ferrari.
Click to expand...

If he decides to hang it up and not keep coming back like Kojima, it won't be surprising.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

[VGC] Shinji Mikami teases return to work after non-compete clause seemingly ends
Game Dev 2
54
4K
Dick Jones replied
Shinji Mikami reveals he has no interest in working with the Resident Evil franchise again
Game Dev
40
3K
March Climber replied
Microsoft Pleased With Hi-Fi Rush Success, Plans To Reinvest In Tango Gameworks
2
63
4K
Mr Hyde replied
GDC Awards 2024 - Winners - Baldurs Gate 3 Wins GoTY
3
391
IAmRei replied
Shinji Mikami Teases Mysterious Remake
Rumor Game Dev 2
53
4K
Zuo replied
Top Bottom