Shinji Mikami Wanted to Leave Tango Gameworks Years Before He Did
Renowned game developer Shinji Mikami, best known for directing the original Resident Evil and The Evil Within, recently revealed the reason behind his departure from his former studio, Tango Gameworks, which he had founded himself. In a revealing interview with Byking, translated by Automaton, Mikami disclosed that he had actually wanted to leave Tango eight years prior to his departure, which means just five years after the release of The Evil Within and the establishment of Tango Gameworks. However, he felt a sense of responsibility towards the ongoing projects at the studio, which delayed his departure until 2023.
Contrary to any animosity, Mikami’s desire to leave Tango was driven by his aspiration to create an environment where young talent could thrive through development, including shorter project cycles. Additionally, he had a personal ambition to create unique and smaller-scale games. Mikami sought to combine these two ideas, which led him to consider leaving Tango.
Another factor in Mikami’s decision to leave was his association with the survival horror genre, notably through his work on Resident Evil and its spiritual successor, The Evil Within. Mikami expressed a desire to step away from this association and explore new creative avenues.
However, Mikami found it challenging to realize these aspirations within Tango Gameworks. He revealed that after Tango was acquired by ZeniMax Media just seven months after its inception, he felt more like a “rank-and-file employee” rather than someone with significant influence. Despite holding the title of CEO, Mikami emphasized that he was not an executive in the true sense and did not have the level of authority he desired.
In March 2024, Mikami started a new studio, although he has yet to disclose much information about the team or the projects they are working on. Fans and industry insiders eagerly await further announcements from the acclaimed developer.
Image Credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Sources:
“Shinji Mikami Wanted to Leave Tango Gameworks Years Before He Did” – IGN (https://www.ign.com/articles/shinji-mikami-wanted-to-leave-tango-gameworks-years-before-he-did)
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