PlatinumGames loses more game directors, reveals former vice president Hideki Kamiya

More game leads have seemingly left PlatinumGames after appearing in former vice president Hideki Kamiya’s latest YouTube video.

A number of prominent developers have recently left the studio, leading to speculation over its future. That includes Bayonetta Origins director Abebe Tinari and Astral Chain director Takahisa Taura: the former has moved to Housemarque, while the latter has quietly removed mention of Platinum from his social media profile.

Now both Tinari and Taura have appeared in the latest video from Kamiya, which ends with a “bonus” section featuring a former PlatinumGames directors’ drinking party (thanks VGC).

The developers in attendance are Bayonetta 3‘s Yusuke Miyata, Metal Gear Rising’s Kenji Saito, and Anarchy Reigns and Resident Evil character designer Masaki Yamanaka, as well as Tinari, Taura, and Kamiya.

The suggestion is, therefore, these developers have all now left Platinum, though only Tinari officially announced his departure.

It’s unclear where these developers are now working, or whether they’ve moved to Kamiya’s new Okami studio Clovers. Either way, it’s certainly a cheeky retort from Kamiya to his former company.

“Please look forward to their work,” says Kamiya at the end of the video.

Eurogamer previously contacted Platinum to confirm Taura’s departure from the company, but it refused to comment on the employment status of staff.

Kamiya left Platinum back in 2023, before starting his own YouTube channel.

Last year he set up Clovers with another former Platinum employee, Kaneto Koyama. The pair discussed the new studio in an interview, where Kamiya stated: “If I continue working [at Platinum], my artistic spirit will die”.

Clovers is working on a sequel to Okami, as revealed at last year’s The Game Awards.

As for Platinum, its next project is Ninja Gaiden 4 in collaboration with Team Ninja. Platinum’s Yuji Nakao is directing the game and told Eurogamer the new game will respect the Ninja Gaiden series and its legacy.

It will also be celebrating the 15th anniversary of Bayonetta this year. “Moving forward, we will continue to take on new challenges to create games that surprise and delight our fans,” reads a message on the company website.

Beyond this, it’s unknown what Platinum is working on, or whether it will become more of a collaborative support studio. Its future appears uncertain after multiple staff losses.