Dragon's Dogma 2 was the sign-off for Capcom legend Hideaki Itsuno, who's leaving to do his own thing after three decades at the top

Capcom veteran Hideaki Itsuno has announced his departure from the Japanese videogame giant, after over 30 years as a senior member of its development staff. Itsuno is best-known for his work on the Devil May Cry series, created by Hideki Kamiya but arguably reaching its peak with the Itsuno-directed Devil May Cry 3, and Dragon's Dogma, Itsuno's own dream game with the sequel turning out as his last major project for Capcom.

«At the end of August 2024, I will be leaving Capcom after 30 years and 5 months,» Itsuno posted on social media. «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.»

Itsuno goes on to say that he's not done with games yet, but is off to do his own thing. «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.»

Itsuno has certainly been involved with some memorable games. A fighting game enthusiast, he joined Capcom on that basis (as well as because the office was an easy commute) and his star rose swiftly: The earliest glimpse of Itsuno's talents came in 1995's excellent Street Fighter Alpha, which he co-directed. Itsuno would play a key role in Capcom's fighting games over the next decade, directing and co-directing entries in the Rival Schools, Capcom vs SNK, Darkstalkers and Power Stone series.

The one wobble in Itsuno's career was when he was assigned to a salvage operation: Devil May Cry 2. This sequel had few of the original game's developers working on it, and was mishandled from the start, with Itsuno brought in at the latter stages to try and make something of a project that was a total mess. Itsuno did not appreciate the assignment but, nevertheless, drove the team and called in every company favour he could to get the game over the line:

«The final days of development on DMC 2 were