Hideki Kamiya facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hideki Kamiya
神谷 英樹
Kamiya in 2014
Born	(1970-12-19) December 19, 1970 (age 54) Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan
Alma mater	Kyorin University
Occupation	Video game designer, director
Years active	1994–present
Employer	Capcom (1994–2006) Clover Studio (2004–2006) PlatinumGames (2006–2023) Clovers (2023–present)
Notable work	Resident Evil 2 Devil May Cry Viewtiful Joe Ōkami Bayonetta The Wonderful 101

Hideki Kamiya (神谷 英樹, Kamiya Hideki, born December 19, 1970) is a famous Japanese video game designer and director. He started working in 1994 at Capcom. There, he directed popular games like Resident Evil 2 (1998), Devil May Cry (2001), Viewtiful Joe (2003), and Ōkami (2006). He also worked at Clover Studio, a part of Capcom, from 2004 to 2006.

After leaving Capcom, Kamiya and other game creators started a new company called PlatinumGames in 2006. He was also a vice president there from 2017 to 2023. At PlatinumGames, he worked on games such as Bayonetta (2009) and The Wonderful 101 (2013).

In December 2024, it was announced that Kamiya had started his own independent studio called Clovers Inc. Their first project is a new Ōkami game, which will be published by Capcom.

IGN, a well-known gaming website, named him one of the top 100 game creators of all time in 2009.

Early Life and Gaming Passions

Kamiya was born in 1970 in Matsumoto, Japan. When he was young, he loved video games. A neighbor often invited him to play on their Epoch Cassette Vision console. Kamiya was especially drawn to the sounds games made.

When he was in junior school, he got his first game console, Nintendo's Famicom. The first game he bought for it was Nuts & Milk. In high school, Kamiya bought a NEC PC-8801 computer to learn programming. However, he ended up playing video games on it every day instead.

The first software he bought for his PC-8801 MA computer was Hydlide 3: The Space Memories. As a child, he also enjoyed monster movies like Godzilla and Ultraman.

Kamiya has said that the games The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Gradius inspired him the most as a game designer. His favorite action game is the original Castlevania. He also enjoys Space Harrier, Cybernator, Punch-Out, Wonder Boy in Monster Land, Snatcher, Sorcerian, and Star Cruiser.

Kamiya's Career Journey

Kamiya decided to become a video game developer after reading an interview. It featured famous game creators Shigeru Miyamoto and Masanobu Endo. After college, Kamiya applied for jobs at many game companies. Sega turned him down, but Namco accepted his application. However, Namco wanted him to be an artist, not a game designer.

Joining Capcom and Resident Evil

Kamiya joined Capcom as a designer in 1994. He helped plan the first Resident Evil game. He then directed Resident Evil 2. This game was made by a team of 40 to 50 people. Many of them were new to Capcom or had worked on the first Resident Evil.

Kamiya wanted Resident Evil 2 to sell two million copies. He aimed to attract new players with a more exciting, movie-like story. The team redesigned the game to fit these changes.

Creating Devil May Cry

Kamiya later directed Devil May Cry. This game actually started as an early idea for Resident Evil 4. Kamiya wanted to make a very cool and stylish action game. The story was about a powerful character named Tony.

Kamiya felt the main character didn't look heroic enough from a fixed camera angle. So, he decided to use a moving camera system instead of the fixed backgrounds from earlier Resident Evil games. The team traveled to Europe to take photos of old buildings and streets for the game's look.

However, the game started to feel too different from the scary Resident Evil series. So, the team decided to make it a new, separate game. Kamiya rewrote the story to be about demons, and the hero's name became "Dante." The game was renamed Devil May Cry in November 2000.

The game's difficulty was on purpose. Kamiya called it his "challenge to those who played light, casual games." Even though the first Devil May Cry was a success, Kamiya did not direct the sequel. He was surprised when he found out a different team was making Devil May Cry 2. He later said he was disappointed not to be asked to direct it.

Kamiya did not direct Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening either. However, he gave advice on how to make the main character and his design. Kamiya has also said he would be interested in remaking the original Devil May Cry game.

Work at Clover Studio

Kamiya directed the original Viewtiful Joe. This game was made to help the creators improve their skills. Kamiya also provided the voice for a character named Six Machine in the game.

In 2006, Kamiya directed Ōkami. The idea for Ōkami came from many people at Clover Studio. Kamiya wanted the game to show a lot of nature. He created a short video showing a wolf running through a forest, making flowers bloom.

The team eventually decided on the game's unique style. Players could pause the game and draw on the screen to change the world around them. The gameplay mixes action, platforming, and puzzles. Many reviewers have noted that it feels similar to The Legend of Zelda series. Kamiya, a Zelda fan, has said that series influenced his game design.

Clover Studio was closed by Capcom in late 2006.

Founding PlatinumGames

PlatinumGames was started on August 1, 2006, by Shinji Mikami, Atsushi Inaba, and Hideki Kamiya. It was first called Seeds, Inc.

In May 2008, the company, now called PlatinumGames, announced a deal with Sega. This deal included four games, one of which was Bayonetta. Kamiya directed Bayonetta, which was an action game for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Kamiya saw it as a follow-up to Devil May Cry.

Kamiya also directed The Wonderful 101 for the Wii U, which came out in September 2013. He also wrote the story for Bayonetta 2, released on the Wii U in October 2014.

Kamiya has said he is interested in making a new Star Fox game. Many fans asked him about it on Twitter. PlatinumGames did work with Nintendo on Star Fox Zero and Star Fox Guard, which came out in April 2016. Kamiya was also working on a game called Scalebound for Microsoft Studios, but it was canceled in January 2017.

In April 2023, Kamiya and Atsushi Inaba started to have disagreements about PlatinumGames. By July 2023, Kamiya decided he could no longer work with Inaba and planned to leave. He felt that PlatinumGames was moving away from celebrating a creator's unique ideas. His departure was announced in September 2023, and he officially left PlatinumGames on October 12, 2023.

Starting Clovers

Between July and October 2023, Kamiya was approached by Kento Koyama, another PlatinumGames employee. Koyama suggested that Kamiya start his own studio to make the games he wanted. Other staff members also agreed with Kamiya's decision to leave. Koyama left PlatinumGames in July 2023 to start Clovers, becoming its president and CEO. Kamiya joined after he left PlatinumGames. The name "Clovers" is a nod to the old Clover Studio.

Kamiya had a one-year agreement that prevented him from working on new games right away. So, he kept his involvement with Clovers quiet at first. About 25 other PlatinumGames staff members followed to join Clovers by December 2024. Kamiya and Koyama funded Clovers themselves, without outside investors. Kamiya plans to only take money for specific games, not for the whole studio, to keep its independence.

Clovers first planned to create new game ideas. But they soon realized they could make a new Ōkami game. Kamiya had wanted to do this while at PlatinumGames. They talked with Capcom to get the chance to make it. Once Kamiya's agreement ended, they started hiring more staff for Clovers. The new Ōkami game was announced at The Game Awards 2024 in December 2024.

Online Presence

People who have met Kamiya say he is friendly and soft-spoken. However, he has a different reputation on Twitter. He has sometimes used strong language towards non-Japanese-speaking fans. He has also blocked many users for tweeting him in languages other than Japanese, even if he had tweeted in English. Kamiya's blocking has become a running joke among fans. Getting blocked or unblocked even became a special reward for a The Wonderful 101: Remastered fundraising campaign.

Works

Video Games

Canceled Projects

• Scalebound – Director, story

See also

In Spanish: Hideki Kamiya para niños