Shinji Mikami didn't just have a hand in bringing the Viewtiful Joe and Devil May Cry series to gamers. He also helped create the survival horror genre in 1996 through Resident Evil -- so the dude has a pretty impressive resume. Now, he's working with Platinum Games on Vanquish, the upcoming sci-fi shooter set in a fictional future United States in the grip of a cold war with Russia.
According to an interview in this week's Famitsu magazine (via 1UP), Mikami's also working on opening a new independent studio called Tango. His current studio, Straight Story, was formed in 2006 (shortly before Seeds shut its doors and became Platinum Games) and is currently contracted to work on Vanquish and that action-horror project with Grasshopper Manufacture. Upon completion of Vanquish, Straight Story will "fold up" and Mikami will focus on the now 13-strong Tango. Mikami wants to see Tango "grow to 100 people or so in five to seven years."
After Vanquish, Mikami will relocate from his current digs in Osaka to Tokyo, where he hopes to recruit some of the young up-and-comers Japan has to offer. As for Tango's first project, that's still up in the air. "I'd like to make a choice with the rest of the team as we grow our numbers," he said. "I've been speaking with a number of publishers as well, but we haven't signed any contracts yet."
Reader Comments (9)
Posted: Mar 17th 2010 2:35PM Spike Spiegel Humble Bounty Hun said
Go Shinji! Do your best!
Posted: Mar 17th 2010 3:15PM Arturis said
"grow to 100 people or so in five to seven years."
Nothing against Shinji, and I wish him all the luck, but the way things are going in the industry nowadays, the more realistic thing would be to hope that the studio *exists* in five to seven years.
Optimism is great, but sometimes realism is better.
Nothing against Shinji, and I wish him all the luck, but the way things are going in the industry nowadays, the more realistic thing would be to hope that the studio *exists* in five to seven years.
Optimism is great, but sometimes realism is better.
Posted: Mar 17th 2010 3:38PM Nook said
sounds really cool, glad he was able to get his head stapled / glued / sewn back onto his body - there's certainly some good stuff left in there.
Posted: Mar 17th 2010 4:47PM Acosta02 said
I really hope Vanquish is good! It has so much talent working on it, but it could go so terribly wrong! *crosses fingers*
Posted: Mar 17th 2010 5:29PM gatotsu911 said
Geez, this guy just can't sit still. This is, what, his fifth studio in the past 5 or 6 years? Don't get me wrong, he's one of my favorite game designers, but it is kinda weird how he's constantly switching studios.
Posted: Mar 18th 2010 9:07AM yomachaser said
So if the new studio does poorly will we see a -Tango Down- post ?
Featured Stories
Super Joystiq Podcast 004: 38 Studios meltdown, Gravity Rush, Civilization 5: Gods & Kings, Dragon's Dogma
Posted on May 25th 2012 3:30PM




