Why The Creator Of Gravity Rush Left Sony
Fans of Gravity Rush, Siren, and the Silent Hill series are in for some interesting news. The creative mind behind those games, Keiichiro Toyama, is leaving Sony to start up his own independent studio. Toyama announced the opening of his new studio, Bokeh Game Studio, on Twitter and uploaded a video on the official Bokeh Game Studio YouTube channel about the transition. In the video, Toyama reminisced with his colleagues, Game Director Kazunobu Sato and Producer Junya Okura, who all fondly remembered their early days as developers. The three discussed the challenges ahead but were excited to have the freedom to create the kinds of games they wanted to make.
From their discussion, it seems clear that these developers felt a bit stifled creatively, but just how much of that was a factor in creating this independent studio?
In 1994, Toyama began work as a graphic artist for Konami. It was there that he created the smash-hit Silent Hill series. Five years later, he started working for Sony. Sadly, there hasn't been a Silent Hill game since 2012, and it was looking like another sequel might never happen. With that said, a recent rumor circulated that not only would fans get a new Silent Hill, but that Toyama would join the project. Will he still work on a new entry in the series, should it come to fruition?
The alleged title is said to be a joint venture between Sony and Konami, and with Toyama leaving Sony, he might not be involved. Interestingly enough, according to rumors, the Silent Hill creator proposed a new horror game and was initially shot down, partially due to Siren's poor sales. Indeed, if this is true, it would support the notion that Toyama felt that he was held back, as is hinted in his video.
At present, the new studio is already working on a project, which should be exciting for fans of his work. On Twitter, the response to the news has been overwhelmingly positive. One user wrote, "you are one of the most underappreciated visionaries and worldbuilders in the video game landscape." Another said, "You and [your] former and current family turned silent hill into what psychological horror in video games are [sic] today. You have our complete support."
Working under his new Bokeh Game Studio, Toyama will be able to make the games he wants without pushback from executives, and gamers only stand to benefit.