After a nearly 20-year hiatus, Hideki Kamiya’s latest project includes an eagerly anticipated Okami sequel, but that’s just one piece of the puzzle at his newly established studio.
When PlatinumGames co-founder Hideki Kamiya announced his departure from the studio he founded, the industry’s biggest question was: what’s next for this gaming legend? Precisely a year after its long-awaited arrival, we finally have a resolution in the form of a sequel that has been a dream come true for many fans: a follow-up to the beloved PlayStation 2 classic Okami. Capcom is set to publish a title from Clovers, the new studio founded by Goichi Kamiya, referencing his previous studio Clover’s work on Okami. In an interview with IGN, Kamiya and Kento Koyama, president and CEO of Clovers, discussed establishing the studio and hinted at potential future projects.
Koyama stated that the studio is currently focused on developing a contracted title featuring a writer’s work, specifically a sequel to Okami. While we focus on this specific project for the near future, we may consider developing our own intellectual property at Clovers at a later date. While intellectual property protection is not our top priority, “What’s crucial is delivering gamers the most captivating and thrilling experiences through our diverse portfolio of top-notch titles.”
Kamiya elaborated that Studio’s unique energy stems from its status as a collaborative entity fueled by a shared, uncompromising creative vision. Although I’ve never been overly concerned with crafting entirely novel properties, this perspective remained consistent even during my time at PlatinumGames. Following my involvement, Kojima Productions developed intellectual property on behalf of various corporations, including Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. Our endeavour at Clovers revolves around crafting innovative and unique video games that are truly exclusive to our studio.
While the announcement of an Okami sequel is undoubtedly an exciting prospect for fans of Kamiya’s work and the type of studio he fosters, considering we’ve only been shown a pre-rendered trailer for the game’s reveal, it’s reasonable to assume that the rest is years away at this point. It’s time to start counting down until the release of Okami 2, whenever that may become a reality. It’s no secret that Capcom is committed to re-releasing some of its classic games.
