Shinji Mikami, the founder and CEO of Tango Gameworks, has announced that he is leaving the studio.
The announcement was made in a company-wide email from Bethesda Softworks senior vice president Todd Vaughn (verified by TrueAchievements).
“I am writing today to let you know that studio head Shinji Mikami has decided to leave Tango Gameworks in the coming months,” Vaughn wrote in the email. “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.”
An icon of the industry, Mikami is most famous for the creation of the Resident Evil series during his time at Capcom. The Japanese developer worked on multiple games in the franchise, up to and including its reimagining with Resident Evil 4.
His horror legacy continued when he left to form Tango Gameworks in 2010. At the new studio he directed The Evil Within and acted as executive producer on The Evil Within 2. The studio was acquired by Bethesda’s parent company ZeniMax in the same year of its creation. Tango Gameworks’ most recent releases include Ghostwire: Tokyo and this year’s surprise (and surprisingly colorful) release Hi-Fi Rush.
Hi-Fi Rush drew particular praise in the email, with Vaughn referring to it as “one of the most successful launches for Bethesda and Xbox in recent years”.
Confirming the email to TrueAchievements, Bethesda released a statement wishing Mikami well for the future and stating that the company is “excited by what lies ahead for the talented developers at Tango.”
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