The creator of Resident Evil aims to depart from the survival horror genre with the help of a new studio

In a recent interview, veteran video game developer Shinji Mikami shared his experience of leaving Tango Gameworks.

Last February, news broke of his departure from the studio known for projects like The Evil Within, Ghostwire: Tokyo, and Hi-Fi Rush, which he founded in 2010 and later sold to Bethesda.

Just last month, Mikami announced the creation of a new company and discussed his future plans in an interview on the Japanese YouTube channel Byking.

According to Mikami, he had been contemplating leaving Tango for eight years but continued working there, feeling a sense of responsibility towards the games.

Explaining his decision, Mikami mentioned his desire to create an environment where young developers could gain more experience by working on projects with shorter development cycles. He also expressed confidence in the potential of unique, smaller projects.

Mikami is renowned for his contributions to Capcom, where he directed the first Resident Evil, its GameCube remake in 2002, and Resident Evil 4, among others. He also noted his desire to move away from the survival horror genre that made him famous.

Before his departure, Mikami clarified his role at Tango Gameworks, stating that he had served as CEO for only 6 months and was closer to an ordinary employee despite his producer title.

In 2020, Mikami expressed his desire to lead one more project before retiring, emphasizing that he had plenty of ideas unrelated to the survival horror genre.