Following the surprise announcement of the Okami sequel, directed by Hideki Kamiya, and the formation of his new studio, Clovers, Kamiya shared insights in a recent interview with VGC.
The interview highlights his journey from leaving PlatinumGames to establishing Clovers and the studio’s collaboration on the much-anticipated Okami sequel.
The Formation of Clovers
Clovers was established in Osaka and Tokyo and is claimed to have had joint funding from Kamiya and his business partner, Kento Koyama, without any external investment. This studio name pays homage to Clover Studio, the original developers of Okami and Viewtiful Joe.
Currently, Clovers employs around 25 staff members, many of whom followed Kamiya from PlatinumGames. Kamiya emphasized a selective approach to growth; he wants to avoid ballooning the number of staff. Outsourcing is planned for smaller tasks beyond their internal capacity.
Team Composition
Many of our team members come from PlatinumGames. These are people who have worked with me or with Kamiya during our time there.
So most of our employees share this connection to Platinum. They’re individuals who share a similar mindset. They were those who expressed a desire to continue working with us. But while most are from Platinum, several team members are acquaintances of mine from other companies and elsewhere.
They’re not people who were fired from Platinum. They’re people who wanted to work with us, those who approached us and wanted to go down the same road as us. So it’s not that we encouraged anyone to quit. Our team members are comprised of people who, of their own volition, said that they wanted to join us.
Kamiya also said he is open to collaborating with Platinum in the future, though, personally, that doesn’t seem all that likely.
You can view more comments and details from the full interview.
The Okami sequel is being “co-developed among multiple studios that include various staff members of the original Okami, including M-TWO Inc., Machine Head Works Inc., and CLOVERS Inc., the last of which Hideki Kamiya is a member.”
