A letter was sent to Bethesda staffers that Resident Evil creator and studio founder Shinji Mikami has decided to step away from his CEO position at the studio. At this time, it isn't clear what made him decide to step away.
Tango Gameworks -- and, by extension, Mikami -- are still feeling the ripples of the success that its latest game, Hi-Fi Rush, has seen. It was boasted as one of the most successful launches Bethesda and Xbox have ever seen. The email, which Bethesda's Todd Vaughn sent out, praised the 57-year-old developer as a creative leader and mentor to those part of Tango.
"I am writing today to let you know that studio head Shinji Mikami has decided to leave Tango Gameworks in the coming months. Mikami-san has been a creative leader and supportive mentor to young developers at Tango for 12 years through his work on the Evil Within franchise, Ghostwire: Tokyo, and of course, Hi-Fi Rush."
Following the initial report, Bethesda took to Twitter to clear the air and declared it true. Mikami has been in the industry for over three decades, and among his highlight achievement of creating Resident Evil, he also was part of the team behind the cult hit Dino Crisis and its sequel. He also worked on Viewtiful Joe, Devil May Cry, Shadows of the Damned, and more. While running Tango Gameworks, he worked on The Evil Within, GhostWire: Tokyo, and Hi-Fi Rush.
It isn't clear what he aims to do now. We can expect, if he isn't outright retiring from the industry, he's most likely either taking up another challenge in a similar space or felt he couldn't do what he wanted with his existing studio and will, at some point, reveal a new one under the partnership of another company.
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