Atsushi Inaba, who is the head of Platinum Games, was recently interviewed and was questioned about what he thought of Microsoft’s recent acquisition of the giant gaming company Activision Blizzard and whether or not Platinum Games would be open to be acquired in the future. Mr Inaba said he wouldn’t turn down a reasonable offer, however, it would only happen if the team could ensure that their creative freedom wasn’t taken away in the form of micromanagement. Here’s what he said:
“The most important thing for us is to have the freedom to make the games that we want to make. What I hear about the recent acquisitions, I don’t think Microsoft is going to start micromanaging Activision to where they take away all their freedom… I don’t think it’s going to be a relationship like that.”
“I think there’s going to be a lot of mutual respect there and I think Activision will be able to continue doing what they do best. That’s also what’s most important to us at the end of the day, whatever form that takes for us and our company. So I would not turn anything down, as long as our freedom was still respected.”
Platinum Games CEO, Atsushi Inaba
I’m a little surprised he’d say that. I figured they’d be far more against the idea, given so many didn’t like things back at Clover Studios.
Could possibly create a dicey situation because they’ve created many great games across both Nintendo and Playstation and it would be a shame for either to be sacrificed.
Where are they with Astral Chain 2? They should had started it immediately as soon as the first one went on sale.
They’re a developer, not a publisher. They’ll make Astral Chain 2 when someone offers to pay them to do it.
So for no reason Nintendo has Astral Chain as their IP and didn’t think of having a seque and keeping the franchise goingl? What a waste of a new IP. Just make one game and Wait 15 years to start a new sequel. Yeah that’s about right.
You do realize that they’re currently making a Nintendo game right?
And then when yall are finally finished with Bayonetta 3 yall can get started on Bayonetta 4 immediately. And don’t waste too much break time between sequels. I ain’t trying to be paying $400-$500 a sequel because video game developers don’t start sequels immediately.
And tell Rareware to get off their lazy butts and make Banjo-Threeie and Conker’s bad Fur Day II.
And lastly tell Nintendo Luigi’s mansion 3 is turning 3 this year. Don’t. You think yall bets to be starting the 4th game. I don’t want to be paying $400 to play Luigi’s Manison 4 on the next underpowered future outdated Switch II because developers decided to start it 9 years later. It’s bad enough I have to pay $400 to play Pikmin 4 whenever that ever debuts.
Its bad enough the next Switch is going to still be underpowered like the Wii, Wii U and Switch are. But I want some sequels.
This reads like it was written by a 12 year old.
If you care about creative freedom, bad idea.
Any CEO who promises this may eventually be replaced, but the ownership of the company will outlive that executive. Who knows how the next one will behave?
Of course they outlive the executive they wait 19 years to start a sequel. No telling when Metroid Prime 5 will start development. They waiting 19 years to start Metroid 4.
Tencent is probably going to gobble them up.
God help us…
Nintendo is the only company I could see respecting their creative freedom. (I could be wrong.) Plz, Nintendo. Make an exception for these guys & buy them! They’d fit perfectly next to Monolith Soft.
They could buy them but for what? Nintendo owned Retro studios over a decade and all we got was DK Returns and Tropicl Freeze. Tropical Freeze is almost 9 years old now. I been waiting for the sequel for Tropical Freeze 5 years ago. Still waiting.