GhostWire: Tokyo developer Ikumi Nakamura announces new indie studio
Working on new IP "full of dark jokes".
Ikumi Nakamura, the former Tango Gameworks lead designer who stole the show at Bethesda's E3 2019 press conference, has set up her own indie studio.
Nakamura announced she had left Tango after a nine-year stint back in September 2019, prompting surprise from fans only months after her on-stage appearance. Since then, Nakamura has toured other studios and taken on freelance work - such as designing some creepy Rainbow Six Siege skins.
Now, in a 17-minute Cutscenes documentary, Nakamura has confirmed she has decided to open her own "small studio" and work on her own project as a creative director (thanks, Play Diaries).
In the video, Nakamura explains her decision to leave Tango Gameworks as being due to illness, which she struggled with "for some time".
"Back in the Capcom days, my seniors would be sleeping under their desks to make games," Nakamura said. "They were passionate to that point.
"Although that wasn't the case anymore, when you get ideas and work in a team, there can be some problems that come with it, it arrived to the point it got on my health. You can't make games if you're not healthy. I started wondering whether there wasn't a way for me to make games while feeling better. I took the decision to quit before it was too late."
Meanwhile, Ghostwire: Tokyo is finally due to release in October this year, as a timed-exclusive for PlayStation platforms - despite Tango's recent purchase as part of Microsoft's big Bethesda buyout.