Shinji mikami signs with Bethesda's parent company ZeniMax, along with his company, Tango Softworks.
Like in publishing, it's rarely news when a developer moves between a company, or when one developer swallows up another. Big strategic partnerships or acquisitions, like that of Activision and Blizzard, cause a few ripples, but usually it's all business as usual.
Except when the developer in question is Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami, and the company that he and his team is going to is ZeniMax Media, the owner of big name developer Bethesda Softworks.
"It's refreshing to find a publisher who understands, trusts, and supports the development of blockbuster games and works to make it a collaborative effort," said Mikami in today's announcement. "The library of AAA franchise titles ZeniMax owns speaks for itself. We are very excited to be joining ZeniMax and working with a company that is dedicated to creating the best games ever made."
From here, it's a thrilling idea that Mikami could well end up working alongside Bethesda - there's no hint that there's going to be any collaboration, but who can resist imagining what the team behind Fallout 3 could do alongside a team that's worked on Resident Evil, Devil May Cry and Final Fantasy.
A geek can dream...
This adds to ZeniMax's already impressive stable of developers - aside from Bethesda, the company has an interest in id Software and Arkane Studios.
Issue: 137 | June, 2012