Tencent Games subsidiary LightSpeed Japan Studio announced the establishment of an Osaka office, along with the recruitment of Capcom veteran developers Bingo Morihashi, Daigo Ikeno, and Gouda Cheese. The main studio in Tokyo is led by Devil May Cry 5 and Dragon’s Dogma series director Hideaki Itsuno.
Like Itsuno, Morihashi previously worked on the scenarios of the Devil May Cry and Dragon’s Dogma series at Capcom. Morihashi will work as a narrative lead at LightSpeed Japan Studio. Ikeno, formerly an illustrator at Capcom, will work as an art director. Ikeno previously worked on character designs for Street Fighter III 3rd Strike, Devil May Cry 2, Devil May Cry 3, Devil May Cry 5, and Street Fighter IV.
Gouda Cheese, also renowned under the alias Bengus, will be an art designer at LightSpeed Japan Studio. He previously worked on 2D character designs for games like the Darkstalkers and Marvel vs. Capcom series at Capcom.
“By establishing studios in both Tokyo and Osaka, we’ve put together a system that allows us to utilize some of Japan’s best game development talent,” Itsuno said in a press release. “The newly recruited senior members demonstrate leadership in the fields of narrative development, art direction, and character design, and will serve as a driving force in the creation of our innovative AAA action title. Creating an original AAA intellectual property from the ground up is extremely rare in Japan these days, and that is exactly what we are striving to do.”
LightSpeed Japan Studio currently has roughly 40 staff members, and the studio is working on a “next generation cross-platform AAA action title” utilizing a new IP. The studio is currently hiring for its Tokyo and Osaka offices.
