Last month we learned that Hideki Kamiya would be resigning from PlatinumGames on October 12. Well, the day has come, so what’s the mind behind games like Devil May Cry, Bayonetta, and more to do next? Why, start a YouTube channel, of course! Kamiya went live with the appropriately named Hideki Kamiya Channel, and the first video is up in both Japanese and English.
The outspoken, block-happy creator didn’t waste any time getting to the question on everyone’s minds. The inaugural video addresses why he quit PlatinumGames and what his plans are next. In fact, the first thing we see is Kamiya walking out with a box full of items from a freshly-cleared desk. “Oh well, I’m done (with Platinum),” he says. “I left. I’m over it. I’m so over it.”
With a tongue-in-cheek attitude, Kamiya invites us to take a seat and have a quick chat about what’s next. Let’s join him and his Robocop and Mazinger figures in the video below.
“I am Hideki Kamiya, unemployed”
After reflecting on his career — which started at Capcom as a planner on Resident Evil — he touches on what he’s been up to since leaving Platinum. Kamiya says he’s been very “refreshed,” and has been watching Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, and other stuff. But surely he isn’t just going to stream movies and TV shows for the rest of time, right? All that matters to Kamiya is that he doesn’t have to attend any more boring meetings.
As for why he quit, after some hemming and hawing he says he wanted to “follow (his) beliefs as a game creator.” He’s not going to retire yet, he just wants to choose the right path and move on. So, for those worried, he does plan to keep making games. He jokes around a bit, wondering if Hamster will hire him and saying he’ll do anything. “I’ll even do debugging,” he pleads.
Time well wasted
In the meantime, Kamiya isn’t allowed to work in the video game industry for the next year. It’s not stated outright, but this is likely due to non-compete clauses. As such, it’ll be a while before we hear anything exciting from the creator. Kamiya will no doubt stay busy between video game jobs, though. He plans to go home and do some cooking. What will his “infinite free time” inspire? Maybe next time we see Kamiya in the industry we’ll be treated to an intense curry-cooking action game.
For those head-hunting, Kamiya says he’s willing to consider any offer “above 100 million yen a year.” The ball’s in your court, video games! The rest of us will be keeping an eye on Kamiya’s YouTube channel for more “completely education-free” content.
