Castlevania producer Koji Igarashi, the man best known for Castlevania: Symphony of the Night on the original PlayStation, and for single handedly creating a new gaming genre (the ‘Metroidvania,’ a fusion of the play styles featured in the Metroid and Castlevania franchises respectively) has announced that he will be leaving Konami, to start his own company where he will be ‘making games his fans want him to make.’
“I’ve decided to break out on my own to have the freedom to make the kind of games I really want to make — the same kind I think fans of my past games want as well,” Igarashi told IGN. “Leaving Konami was a big decision, and not one I took lightly – I’ve spent my entire career there, made many friends, and had a lot of great opportunities – but I hope all the gamers and fans who have supported me in the past will join me in being excited about what comes next. Wish me luck!”
This probably comes as good news for the fans, who’ve been wanting the more traditional Castlevania games Igarashi is known for (on Nintendo handhelds since the GBA days) over the Lords of Shadow games that Konami was hell bent on pushing- now that Igarashi is independent, maybe he can work on developing the kind of game that he wants to make, and that fans want him to make. maybe without the recognition that the Castlevania IP carries, his new game will be forced to be something special- a new Symphony of the Night.
However, the future of the Castlevania franchise itself is now in flux, with Mercury Steam having announced that lords of Shadow 2 will be their last game in the series, and with Igarashi having left. It remains to be seen whether Konami chooses to proceed with the franchise or bench it altogether.
We’ll see. For now, stay tuned to GamingBolt.
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