Devil May Cry, Dragon’s Dogma director leaves Capcom after 30 years

Hideaki Itsuno, one of Capcom’s most experienced and successful designers, has left the company after working there for over 30 years. Itsuno was a key steward of the Devil May Cry series and the creator and director of Dragon’s Dogma and its recent sequel, Dragon’s Dogma 2; his departure leaves a question mark hanging over the future of both series, but particularly Dragon’s Dogma, a unique take on action role-playing games guided by Itsuno’s distinctive vision for the genre.

“I have an announcement for all my followers,” Itsuno posted to X. “At the end of August 2024, I will be leaving Capcom after 30 years and 5 months. Thank you for your long-term support of the games and characters I have been responsible for. I hope you will continue to support Capcom’s games and characters.

“From September, I will start developing a new game in a new environment. I hope to create fun, beautiful games that are as memorable as, or even more memorable than, the ones I have created so far. Please stay tuned for my next creation!”

Like many at Capcom, Itsuno was a fighting game enthusiast who cut his teeth on the genre before moving on to different styles of game; among other fighting games, he led development on cult favorites Rival Schools and Power Stone. In the early 2000s he was parachuted in to save development of the struggling action game sequel Devil May Cry 2, with mixed results. But he would end up staying on to direct Devil May Cry 3, 4, and 5, all well received by fans, as well as oversee the development of Ninja Theory’s DmC: Devil May Cry. Itsuno essentially took the series, which had been created by Capcom legend Shinji Mikami, and made it his own.

In between the fourth and fifth Devil May Cry games, Itsuno was given the chance to realize a long-held dream project, which became the first Dragon’s Dogma. Combining the freedom of Western RPGs like The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion with Capcom-style action combat and a unique system of AI companions called pawns, Dragon’s Dogma initially met with confusion on its release in 2012, but its reputation and following grew such that a sequel was greenlit. Dragon’s Dogma 2 launched in 2024 to critical acclaim — and still more confusion from new players surprised by its hands-off design ethos.

As one of Capcom’s most distinctive creators of the modern era, Itsuno’s next move will be watched with great interest.