Bayonetta creator PlatinumGames might be in trouble as staff leave for new studio
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Key staff members at Bayonetta studio PlatinumGames appear to have left, as former co-founder Hideki Kamiya sets up his new venture. Over the past 15 years, developer PlatinumGames has become one of the most beloved game studios in the world, creating titles like Bayonetta, Vanquish, NieR:Automata, and The Wonderful 101.
![[Clovers studio team members]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_233454959-385b.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
A key figurehead behind the studio was Hideki Kamiya, who co-founded the company in 2006 and went on to serve as vice president between 2017 and 2023. He departed the studio in October last year and has since set up a new team, Clovers, who are working on the sequel to Ōkami, a game he directed during his years at Capcom.
![[Nier: Automata key art]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_233455065-9250.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Kamiya’s departure, however, appears to have had a significant impact on the workforce at PlatinumGames, with many of his former colleagues jumping ship to his new studio. Speaking in an interview with VGC, Kamiya, who formed the new studio with business partner Kento Koyama, confirmed the majority of the ‘around 25’ staff at Clovers followed them from Platinum to their new offices based in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan.
While he doesn’t name the members specifically, it’s possible to deduce some from the Clovers’ team photo on the studio’s website, like cinematic director Kunihiko Tsuda, Metal Gear Rising’s lead animator Hirokazu Takeuchi, and Bayonetta animator Rei Yamamoto.
