For years Koji Igarashi was the face of the Castlevania series. He got his start with the series as co-director and writer of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and then went onto produce numerous top-notch Castlevania games for handhelds (and some so-so 3D Castlevania games for consoles). His track record isn’t perfect, but still, he was a guy who loved Castlevania so much he often gave interviews while clutching a whip, and most Castlevania fans have a lot of affection for the dude.
Unfortunately, once Hideo Kojima took ever the Castlevania series with Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, Igarashi was shunted to the sidelines. After Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 ended up being not so hot, many hoped that Igarashi would get another crack at the series, but it seems that won’t be happening, as Igarashi has left Konami. Here’s what Igarashi had to say about the situation…
“I’ve decided to break out on my own to have the freedom to make the kind of games I really want to make — the same kind I think fans of my past games want as well. Leaving Konami was a big decision, and not one I took lightly – I’ve spent my entire career there, made many friends, and had a lot of great opportunities, but I hope all the gamers and fans who have supported me in the past will join me in being excited about what comes next. Wish me luck!”
Of course, I’d bet big the kind of games Igarashi really wants to make are 2D action games starring public domain characters like Dracula and Frankenstein. In other words, much like Keiji Inafune leaving Capcom led to Mighty No. 9, Koji Igarashi leaving Konami might lead to us getting an awesome new Symphony of the Night-like game we wouldn’t have got otherwise. Hooray for quitting! I await the Kickstarter campaign!
via IGN