Capcom development reshuffle sees new Osaka studio opening
Clover Studio forms under the watchful eye of the man who brought you Viewtiful Joe.
Following the closure of a number of Capcom's studios outside of its Osaka headquarters, the Japanese publisher has announced the formation of a new subsidiary in Osaka with Viewtiful Joe producer Atsushi Inaba at the helm.
Called Clover Studio, the new subsidiary will be wholly owned by Capcom, and the formation of the studio is part of a wider plan for the reorganisation of the company's development assets which has been ongoing for a couple of years.
Clover will formally be established on July 1st, and its president, Inaba-san, will be familiar for his work on a number of Capcom's more innovative and creative recent games - with Steel Battalion (Tekki) being another of his projects.
According to Capcom representatives, the decision to found Clover as an external (if wholly owned) company is down to a desire to give more creative freedom to its development teams, in the hope that it will inject originality into the company's titles.
Not that Capcom has exactly been lacking on the originality front of late. Following on from the likes of the hugely innovative and critically acclaimed Viewtiful Joe and the much sought after Steel Battalion, the company has a one of the most interesting forthcoming product pipelines in the industry - including the prospect of a complete overhaul of the Resident Evil franchise in Resident Evil 4, and one of the most stylish and exciting cel-shaded games we've ever seen in the form of Killer 7.