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Shinji Mikami is leaving Tango Gameworks

SF Kosmo

Al Jazeera Special Reporter
Mikami back working with Platinum/Capcom?
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Platinum I doubt, he more or less took his team with him from Platinum and I'm not sure what would be in it for him.

Capcom seems more possible, though.
 

ungalo

Member
There was some rumors surrounding Tango sometime between Evil Within 2 and Ghostwire, a lot of people were laid off. A lot of Bethesda studios had some commercial issues with their games before Microsoft came, even with the acquisition it obviously has consequences.

I doubt that what's happening (or what happened because it seem to have already happened 2 years ago) at Tango is someone passing the torch to someone else. I fear we might not have any big project from them in the future.
 

fart town usa

Gold Member
Most interesting aspect to me is that he's been clear that he wants to guide junior members, basically do for others what Fujiwara did for him at Capcom back in early 90s. It's weird to me that he'd leave Tango but maybe he feels like his work is done. I can see the MS aspect being a factor too but it's all just guesswork at this point.
 

Dr_Salt

Member
They don't need him at this point. Neither EW2 or Hi Fi Rush were directed or produced by him. John Johanas directed both and he is doing an amazing job.
His name pops in huge letters as producer after Johanas name shows in the end credits of HFR.

Anyways I don't think he is retiring yet, he has been saying he wants to direct one final game before hanging the boots.
 
Some of these posts are just embarrassing, dude leaves a company and then console warriors frothing at the mouth come in with hopium.

What's funnier is Mikami only Executive Produced (aka greenlit and handled finances for) the 2 best games from Tango...and a lot these idiots are calling for him to go back to Capcom and do a remake of all things while claiming it's a huge creative loss for Tango.

John Johanas and those designers/ programmers/artists/animators from the Clover days are clearly the truth.
After HiFi (and with Evil Within 3 coming), Mikami knows its the right time to pass the torch at his age.
 

Dr_Salt

Member
What's funnier is Mikami only Executive Produced (aka greenlit and handled finances for) the 2 best games from Tango...and a lot these idiots are calling for him to go back to Capcom and do a remake of all things while claiming it's a huge creative loss for Tango.

John Johanas and those designers/ programmers/artists/animators from the Clover days are clearly the truth.
After HiFi (and with Evil Within 3 coming), Mikami knows its the right time to pass the torch at his age.
Yea, Mikami left capcom partly because he was tired of working on survival horror. He didn't even want to work on TEW1 but was pressured by zenimax, he wanted to work on scifi survival game codenamed Noah.

People who think he is going back to capcom to work on RE or Dinocrisis are delusional.
 
Yea, Mikami left capcom partly because he was tired of working on survival horror. He didn't even want to work on TEW1 but was pressured by zenimax, he wanted to work on scifi survival game codenamed Noah.

People who think he is going back to capcom to work on RE or Dinocrisis are delusional.
I think he could easily be going back to Capcom, and probably he regrets leaving on some level considering how much they've accomplished in the last few years.

It was the beginning of the first major attempts for Japanese indies to branch out, and for most of them it didn't work out. Platinum worked out, barely. Itagaki got screwed by THQ, abandoned by MS after sticking up for them repeatedly. Tango has limped along, and ultimately had to get acquired and end up mostly doing survival horror that he could have done at Capcom all along. Almost everyone would have been better off staying at their previous jobs except maybe Platinum considering Clover was mostly toast. Mikami didn't accomplish a whole lot the last 12 years, when he could have had free reign to head any of the largest projects at Capcom he wanted. Itagaki could have still been leading Team Ninja.
 
I hope he's stays within gaming and takes up directing again, though his whole deal with Tango was to set up future generations so he may be fully done with that role. =P
 

Dr_Salt

Member
I think he could easily be going back to Capcom, and probably he regrets leaving on some level considering how much they've accomplished in the last few years.

It was the beginning of the first major attempts for Japanese indies to branch out, and for most of them it didn't work out. Platinum worked out, barely. Itagaki got screwed by THQ, abandoned by MS after sticking up for them repeatedly. Tango has limped along, and ultimately had to get acquired and end up mostly doing survival horror that he could have done at Capcom all along. Almost everyone would have been better off staying at their previous jobs except maybe Platinum considering Clover was mostly toast. Mikami didn't accomplish a whole lot the last 12 years, when he could have had free reign to head any of the largest projects at Capcom he wanted. Itagaki could have still been leading Team Ninja.
I think he might possibly join M2 as it was his initial plan but he ain't gonna work on survival horror that is for sure. He is pretty much done with the genre. If you ever watch his interview in Bokeh Studio Toyama asked him if he was to direct survival horror today what would he do and Mikami straight up said he would not do survival horror.
 
I think he might possibly join M2 as it was his initial plan but he ain't gonna work on survival horror that is for sure. He is pretty much done with the genre. If you ever watch his interview in Bokeh Studio Toyama asked him if he was to direct survival horror today what would he do and Mikami straight up said he would not do survival horror.
Good. I hope he doesn't do a remake either.
 

fart town usa

Gold Member
They don't need him at this point. Neither EW2 or Hi Fi Rush were directed or produced by him. John Johanas directed both and he is doing an amazing job.
I wouldn't say they don't need him. Based on what Mikami has said numerous times, his goal was to allow junior staff to direct games. Mikami steered the ship and has serious influence. He went directly to Sony after testing the PS5 controller for Ghostwire: Tokyo and his input got Sony to beef up the rumble and resistant triggers.

I'm sure Tango will continue to make great games but saying they don't need Mikami is a bit inflammatory.
 

Mister Wolf

Member
I wouldn't say they don't need him. Based on what Mikami has said numerous times, his goal was to allow junior staff to direct games. Mikami steered the ship and has serious influence. He went directly to Sony after testing the PS5 controller for Ghostwire: Tokyo and his input got Sony to beef up the rumble and resistant triggers.

I'm sure Tango will continue to make great games but saying they don't need Mikami is a bit inflammatory.

At some point after apprenticing under someone you should no longer need to look to them for guidance. Especially if you have over a decade of experience in your chosen profession
 
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At some point after apprenticing under someone you should no longer need to look to them for guidance. Especially if you have over a decade of experience in your chosen professional.
I dont think they need him to make good games at this point. But they may need him to attract and retain talent. We don't know who the new studio head is, and I'm sure it's not going to be the western director of HFR and EW2. They already lost a director on Ghostwire for who knows what reason. Part of people wanting to work there is working under Mikami's guidance. He is the one who brought the talent that started the studio.
 

SlimeGooGoo

Party Gooper
I dont think they need him to make good games at this point. But they may need him to attract and retain talent. We don't know who the new studio head is, and I'm sure it's not going to be the western director of HFR and EW2. They already lost a director on Ghostwire for who knows what reason. Part of people wanting to work there is working under Mikami's guidance. He is the one who brought the talent that started the studio.
Yoshi's BACK

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SHA

Member
Alternative take to the idea that he is leaving to make games elsewhere: he'll be 58 this year. After 25 years in the industry and the knowledge of how much work it would be to set up a new studio or even just a new team and how long it takes to make a game...

Is it likely that he would turn his back on the well resourced, skilled team and a parent company who were very keen to have him make games?

Or is it likely that he'd want to spend a year or two setting a studio up or just attempting to hire a complete staff, all so he can release a game at the age of 65 on Xbox, PC and Playstation rather than Xbox and PC.

I'll say again, if he wants to make a game, he's got the team and support now. But it doesn't get released on PlayStation. It gets released everywhere else. So leave the fully staffed and accomplished company you created and start again. At 58.

I would think the most likely thing is that he doesn't plan to make more games. The only way I see that happening is if he is getting a giant payday to head a production by another fully established studio. As to whether he can just leave the company and immediately start working elsewhere, I don't know but I don't see him setting something new up as a reasonably likely outcome, and I intend no offence when I say I don't frankly think his brand would make a dramatic difference to a game's marketing.

All signs point to: if he wanted to make games he'd be making games right now. Not leaving the games company he created. Time will of course tell.
It's personal, don't make him look old, Kojima still likes what he's doing and never complained about his age.
 

NikuNashi

Member
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.
He's 58 not 78. I guarantee he will be directing within 2 years at a new studio. Japanese workers do not retire in their 50's. He's probably tired of the corporate interference and took the pay check and will start again, we will see.
 
They don't need him at this point. Neither EW2 or Hi Fi Rush were directed or produced by him. John Johanas directed both and he is doing an amazing job.
I didn't know that. That's quite interesting.
Having Shinji there may have helped with Japan relations though, perhaps? In any case, all the best to him. I wonder what's his reason(s) for leaving.
 
Ah no. Not to mention, he has given them a couple month notice.
I didn't mean he was fired, i meant it was a bullshit cover story.

If he was retiring, there would messages of thanks and appreciation, applauding him for all he has given to the industry over his long career.
 
I always equated Tango Gameworks with him, probably because he’s so damn famous and that’s what helped Tango make a name for themselves initially.
Maybe it’s his time to leave the industry, he is 57 after all. Still, pretty heavy name leaving.

Edit: Imagine him leaving to do Dino Crisis with Capcom, that’d be crazy. Very low chance though.
Dino crisis, now that's a name I haven't heard in a long while.
 

Labolas

Member
I can't imagine Mikami going back to Platinum, I'd be shock if he does, but most likely he'll go back to Capcom.
 
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