Shadows of the Damned was one of those games that made a big splash with those who picked it up, but barely a dent in market sales. It was unsure whether there would be a sequel or anything done with the franchise after the end of the first game. With Goichi Suda announcing yesterday that he and his company — Grasshopper Manufacture - would be pursuing Chainsaw Lollipop as their next IP, it seems that chances for another Shadows of the Damned are slim.
And now those chances have been lessened further as director of the game, Massimo Guarini, has left Grasshopper Manufacture to set up shop for his own. Naming the new company Ovosonico Productions, Guarini says that the fledgling company will not only focus on games, but also "Games, Music, Films with an attitude,” and cites that phrase as their slogan.
Guarini has seen himself on several projects over the years, from the espionage-laden series that is Tom Clancy Splinter Cell and Rainbow Six series, along with recently touching on the ninja-wielding Naruto: Rise of a Ninja. Not only that, he’s also been known to dabble in photography and film as well, which serves to explain why he would focus on additional arts with his new company.
Potentially one of the reasons why Guarini left Grasshopper Manufacture is because much of his work done on Shadows of the Damned was shadowed and instead shuttled over to Suda 51, who has been more of an icon for the company. When you work for so long on a product, and neither the fans nor the sales reflect what you did, it’s as good a time as any to head in a new direction.
Then again, nothing official has been said on the matter, yet it’s always something worth thinking about. As for Guarini’s new company, they currently have a placeholder page sitting until the world is ready for a reveal. In the meantime, you can see what Guarini has had his hands on, and keep an eye out for what he’s working on next.
Shadows of the Damned is out now for the Xbox 360 and PS3.
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