Hideaki Itsuno, famed former director of the Devil May Cry and Dragon’s Dogma series, has joined Tencent Games subsidiary LightSpeed Studios.
Itsuno, who left Capcom earlier this year after over 30 years at the Japanese games company, announced the formation of a new developer called LightSpeed Japan Studio, with offices in Tokyo and Osaka. Most exciting for fans, however, is Itsuno’s plan to focus on developing original AAA action games, something he built his career doing at Capcom.
Itsuno’s long list of credits includes the likes of Rival Schools, Power Stone, the Devil May Cry series, and most recently, the Dragon’s Dogma games. He was the director of Dragon’s Dogma 2, which launched earlier this year and goes down as Itsuno’s final game for Capcom.
“Joining LightSpeed Studios is an exciting new chapter for me,” Itsuno commented. “With LightSpeed’s strong development capability and global network, I look forward to creating original AAA action game titles together with the amazing team and building aesthetic and innovative experiences for the global player community. We welcome all talented and passionate game creators from the world over to join our vision.”
LightSpeed Studios is perhaps best known as the co-developer of Krafton’s PUBG Mobile, which is one of the most popular mobile games of all time. Its Los Angeles studio is working on Last Sentinel, a narrative-focused, open-world action game set in a dystopian future Tokyo.
As for Capcom, its next big game is Monster Hunter Wilds, although it has new entries in the Resident Evil series up its sleeve, too.
Image credit: LightSpeed Studios.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.