While the very recent Hi-Fi RUSH positively surprised many players and an easter egg linked to the sequel to The Evil Within has resurfaced, today is a thunderclap that falls on the studio which sees its founder and CEO jump ship.
After 12 years of good and loyal service, Shinji Mikami leaves Tango Gameworks
Since Tango Gameworks is a subsidiary of ZeniMax, it was Bethesda’s senior vice president of development, Todd Vaughn, who broke the news to ZeniMax employees in an email.
“I am writing to you today to inform you that the head of the studio, Shinji Mikami, has decided to leave Tango Gameworks in the coming months. Mikami-san has been a creative leader and encouraging mentor to young Tango developers for 12 years through his work on the Evil Within franchise, Ghostwire: Tokyo, and of course, Hi-Fi Rush.”
Shinji Mikami has been working in the video game industry for 33 years as a developer and he has built an impressive CV over time, working on Resident Evil 4, Dino Crisis, Viewtiful Joe and Vanquish, among others. It was in March 2010 that he founded Tango Gameworks (purchased in stride by ZeniMax) and that he will develop The Evil Within with a first opus in 2014 then a sequel in 2017. The studio’s last major projects are Ghostwire: Tokyo and Hi-Fi RUSH.
What next then? Despite Mikami’s departure, Tango Gameworks will continue to monitor and work on Ghostwire: Tokyo and Hi-Fi RUSH and Bethesda will work with studio administration to clarify the situation. Bethesda confirmed the veracity of the email by adding this:
“We wish Mikami-san good luck for the future and are excited about what lies ahead for the talented developers at Tango. »
The departure of Shinji Mikami from Tango Gameworks definitely marks the end of an era and we greatly hope that his successors will live up to the studio’s image, projects and ambitions.
