Hideaki Itsuno, the creator of the Dragon's Dogma franchise, has joined Tencent's LightSpeed Studios as Head of their Japan Studio. After a 30-year career at Capcom, where he also worked on titles like Power Stone, Auto Modellista, and Devil May Cry, Itsuno will now lead the development of AAA action games at LightSpeed.
This move comes as a surprise, as Itsuno had expressed interest in a new, original project after the release of Dragon's Dogma 2 in March. While fans expected him to remain at Capcom, he departed the company in August.
LightSpeed Studios, while not yet a household name, is gaining traction in the industry. They have showcased impressive Unreal Engine 5-powered open-world games like Code: To Jin Yong (a Wuxia RPG) and Last Sentinel (a dystopian sci-fi title set in Tokyo). Their recent investment in a state-of-the-art performance capture facility demonstrates their commitment to high-quality game development.
Itsuno's role will involve coordinating global teams, leaving open the possibility of him leading a new project of his own. Fans are hoping he might revisit and refine the Dragon's Dogma formula in a future title.
