Interest
Platinum Games Co-Founder Hideki Kamiya Can't Work in Game Industry for 1 Year
posted on by Joanna Cayanan
On September 25, Platinum Games co-founder, game designer, and director Hideki Kamiya announced that he made the difficult decision to leave the company on October 12. And so as of last week, Kamiya is officially unemployed and started his own YouTube channel, posting his very first video (in Japanese and English versions). As of press time, Kamiya's YouTube channel already has 16,000 subscribers.
The video starts with the usual I-just-left-my-job camera shot, with Kamiya coming out of Platinum Games' office building, carrying a box of toys he had in the office. He then sits down somewhere to discuss what's next for him now that he left Platinum Games. For starters, Kamiya states he feels refreshed now that he has left the company, spending his days watching videos and programs on Netflix, YouTube, and Disney+.
Kamiya also tries to explain why he left the company, but is being careful with his words, confirming if it's possible to omit (bleep out) anything. In the end, he simply states he chose the path he thinks is right for him. He also clarifies that he is not retiring yet, but it will be a year until he can work again in the gaming industry "due to reasons."
As for the content of his YouTube channel, Kamiya, keeping in mind his almost 30-year career as a game designer, promised to create content that will be completely useless to developing games. Since he does not have any specific ideas for content yet, he asked for ideas and suggestions in the video's comment section.
Kamiya wrapped up the talk, and the video ended with him, just like any other unemployed Japanese citizen, going to Hello Work (an employment service organization run by the Japanese government, which provides various services to job seekers for free)... in his classic red Lamborghini.
this article has been modified since it was originally posted; see change history