One of the PlayStation 5’s most anticipated releases for this year isGhostwire: Tokyo, the latest game fromThe Evil Withindeveloper Tango Gameworks andResident Evilcreator Shinji Mikami. The game was first revealed at E3 2019, shown to audiences by then-creative director Ikumi Nakamura. Her energetic performance was seen as a wholesome highlight of E3 2019, which led to her getting an online following as well. BeforeGhostwire: Tokyoshe was an artist working on beloved properties for Capcom’s Clover Studio, along with PlatinumGames after the former was shut down. She later rejoined Mikami at Tango Gameworks, contributing art toThe Evil Withinand its sequel.
Before development onGhostwire: Tokyowas completed however,Nakamura left Tango Gameworks. Due to declining health and other reasons behind closed doors, she left the company, citing creators over-exerting themselves working on their projects. After leaving the studio, she continued to do consulting and freelance work, until she announced in 2021 that she would be heading up her own independent game studio. This studio is now officially open, known as Unseen.
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Ikumi Nakamura’s new game studiowas announced in a YouTube video, where she briefly goes over her career, including how she had a spotlight during the E3 2019. She also goes on to explain that many colleagues and game industry veterans that she had worked with in coming on-board to her new studio. Based in Tokyo, Unseen is described to be a terminal that allows artists of different cultures to gather and to “transcend beyond the realm of video games.”
This establishment of Unseen is broken down further in an interview with IGN, where Nakamura details the many factors that went into it. The main crux of it was her visiting several game studios and artists working there, and wanting to make a company where artists like her can get together and be creative. She mentions thatpresenting at E3 2019allowed her to be recognized and wouldn’t have considered opening her own studio otherwise.
Nakamura states that Unseen aims to have a multicultural team, made up of developers across the world, and be a place to learn about other cultures and create. She also states that her next IP won’t entirely be focused on video games, but in terms of different media like anime. She states the first game under her studio is currently being given a lot of care an attention, and hopes that it will represent multiple cultures. She also states that she wants to also keep working onhorror and supernatural gamesas well.
Ghostwire: Tokyowill be available on March 25 for PC and PS5.
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