PlatinumGames CEO wants to make larger, more experimental games

PlatinumGames CEO Atsushi Inaba has said the studio is changing its approach to developing games.

Inaba, who co-founded the development studio, was interviewed by Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu (translated by VGC) about his aspirations for the company's future.

While the developer will continue with the kinds of single-player action games it is known for, Platinum will also look to create titles that "can be enjoyed and loved for a longer period of time", perhaps including the long-in-development Project G.G. from Hideki Kamiya.

"Project G.G. is still in the stage of testing various things, so I can't tell you much about it, but when it comes to future game production, we want to focus on creating games that are different from the past. I would like to focus on creating games that can be enjoyed and loved for a longer period of time," said Inaba.

"Of course, we would like to cherish and create small but brilliantly conceived games such as Sol Cresta, and games in which you can enjoy the process of clearing the game by going through one-off, well-designed stages, such as Bayonetta.

"However, the projects that we are trying to create for the future will be different in terms of their structure. Considering the changes in the market over the next five years or so, I think it is absolutely necessary for us to do this. I'm sorry for being so vague, but I think that's all I can tell you right now."

Project G.G. has been described as the "climax" to Kamiya's superhero trilogy, following Viewtiful Joe and The Wonderful 101.

Inaba, who recently took over as PlatinumGames president and CEO (with Kamiya now vice president), said the company will experiment more in future.

"[Former CEO Kenichi Sato] laid the foundation for the company, but I'd like to return to the original ethos of PlatinumGames. If we can no longer create new ways to play, then there is no reason for us to exist, and if that happens, I think it would be better to dissolve the company, no matter how profitable it is.

"I'd like to go back to our raison d'etre and create new games on a larger scale in a more pure manner," he said.

"In the past, even if we wanted to create our own IP, it was difficult to do so, and even if we could, it would be on a very small scale... we could only make indie-class products. In the future, I would like to get rid of all of that and make larger games from our ideas, and succeed in at least one thing.

"I want to lead PlatinumGames in a direction that is pure and unadulterated, and never look back. I think that's my role now."

In terms of its forthcoming releases, Babylon's Fall - an MMO style action game - is soon to be released with Square Enix publishing, while Bayonetta 3 is on the horizon with Nintendo. Shoot-em-up Sol Cresta, originally delayed from December, is also due at the end of this month.

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