Revered PlatinumGames director Hideki Kamiya has expressed his interest in returning to a few familiar franchises, news that’s sure to pique the interest of longtime Kamiya fans. Kamiya made the statement in an interview with Dengeki PlayStation magazine (via Siliconera).
“I want to work on a Buy Now and Buy Now remake, or a true sequel for Okami. A cooperation with Dante (from Devil May Cry) and Bayonetta might also be fun. Dear Capcom, if it’s okay with someone like me, I will help anytime. Best regards. Everyone, bow down your heads together with me!”
There’s a lot to unpack in that relatively brief remark, but the two details that stand out immediately happen to be the first things he mentioned. The last Devil May Cry title, a reboot of sorts called DmC: Devil May Cry, launched in 2013, while Viewtiful Joe has been dormant since 2005. Kamiya did work on a spiritual successor to the latter, the 2013 Wii U title The Wonderful 101, but two console generations have passed since Joe’s last leading role.
Kamiya was likely referencing a remake of the original Viewtiful Joe and the first Devil May Cry (the only one in the series he worked on). Even though Kamiya apparently wants to remake the pair of modern classics, it’s unclear if he would have the opportunity to do so. Both franchises were published by Capcom, Kamiya’s former employer before he left to start PlatinumGames in 2006.
The same logic applies to any theoretical Okami sequel, as the game was originally developed by Capcom’s now-defunct Clover Studio. Kamiya served as lead designer on Okami, a stylistic adventure game that is widely regarded as one of the best PlayStation 2 games.
The last part of Kamiya’s message appeared to indicate that he would be willing to work alongside Capcom to create a crossover Devil May Cry/Bayonetta game.
It’s not all that surprising that Kamiya expressed interest in returning to those storied franchises. His last known project, Scalebound, was canceled by Microsoft earlier this year. In June, Kamiya said that his next game would “wave the Kamiya banner proudly.” At the time, Kamiya and his team at PlatinumGames hadn’t settled on an idea, and this statement makes his promise even more interesting.
Will his next game be a new action title or a return to a well-known franchise? We can’t wait to find out.
