Famed Dragon's Dogma and Devil May Cry Director Hideaki Itsuno Leaves Capcom After 30 Years

Starting a new project elsewhere.

Legendary Capcom developer Hideaki Itsuno, who most recently directed Dragon’s Dogma 2 and Devil May Cry 5, has left the company after more than 30 years.

Itsuno announced his departure on X/Twitter but assured fans he wasn’t quitting video games all together. He left Capcom in August and will begin a new project in a new environment from sometime in September.

“At the end of August 2024, I will be leaving Capcom after 30 years and five months,” Itsuno said. “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.”

Itsuno began at Capcom in 1994 and worked his way up from planning games such as Street Fighter Alpha to co-directing the likes of Power Stone and eventually directing with games such as Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark the Millenium 2001.

Itsuno perhaps gained the most reputation through his work on Devil May Cry, and would be named director on the third and fourth games alongside the original Dragon’s Dogma.

He left Capcom on a high note, as Dragon’s Dogma 2 boosted Capcom to new financial heights and was well received by critics too. In our 8/10 review, IGN said: “More of a redo than a sequel, Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a strange and wonderful action-RPG that bolsters the original’s strengths without addressing its weaknesses.”

Image Credit: JC Olivera/Getty Images

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.