Sony Japan Studio has seen an exodus of sorts lately, as several high profile employees have left the company. Now, two Bloodborne developers have also left, as they announced their departure on Twitter. Although the situation certainly seems odd, it doesn't seem as though any of the former employees have a grudge against Sony Japan Studio, and if they do, they certainly aren't letting on about it. This time, Sony Japan Studio is saying goodbye to Masaaki Yamagiwa and Ryo Sogabe, both of whom played very important roles in the development of FromSoftware's Bloodborne.
Both of these developers announced their departure on February 24th via Twitter, prompting a mixed bag of responses from fans. Many simply congratulate Yamagiwa and Sogabe for a job well done while working with the studio, and others show concern about what this could mean for the highly requested sequel to Bloodborne.
For those that aren't familiar with the name, Yamagiwa was the producer of Bloodborne, so he was vital to making the game what it is today. With him gone now, it's difficult to say whether or not Sony Japan Studio and FromSoftware will take another stab at the Bloodborne universe. It's possible that someone else could take his place, but this brings up concerns about how faithful a sequel would be to the original. In his tweet, Yamagiwa reaffirms that he is going to continue to work hard on creating games, indicating that he isn't retiring just yet.
Sogabe also is well known for his work on Bloodborne and other titles, serving as the video/cinematics director for the game during his time at Sony Japan Studio. His tweet also details that he will be leaving at the end of February, but he goes on to speak fondly of PlayStation. Like Yamagiwa, Sogabe says that he looks forward to the challenges he will face in the "new company," but doesn't go into detail about what that company is. Despite this, fans have their theories about where Yamagiwa and Sogabe are both headed.
Many former employees of Sony Japan Studio embarked to create a new game studio called Bokeh, founded by Keiichiro Toyama, best known for his work on Silent Hill and Gravity Rush. Although it isn't confirmed that Yamagiwa and Sogabe are going to work with Bokeh just yet, many fans think it is a possibility. More likely than not, the two will reveal where their future is taking them after their time with Sony Japan Studio is up.
Bloodborne is available now for PS4.