Hiroyuki Kobayashi, best known for his role as a producer of the Resident Evil series, reveals he's opening a new studio under Chinese publisher NetEase, furthering the tech giant's reach in the gaming industry. Kobayashi served as a producer on the Resident Evil series for the acclaimed remake of the original Resident Evil and the original Resident Evil 4. He was later an executive producer for Resident Evil 6. He was originally a programmer for Capcom during the creation of the original Resident Evil back in 1998.
Kobayashi's new studio will be called GPTRACK50 Studios and will be located in Osaka, Japan. While Kobayashi will serve as president of the new company, it will be under the mega-corporation NetEase. In addition to this new studio, NetEase expanded further this year by acquiring Heavy Rain developer Quantic Dream in a previous deal. NetEase has also acquired No More Heroes developer, Grasshopper Manufacture, and also has deals in place with Blizzard.
In a new interview with IGN, Kobayashi detailed his reasoning for leaving Capcom and joining NetEase, and also what he hopes to work on next with his new studio. Kobayashi stated that he was looking for a new challenge when he left Capcom after 27 years and that the company is a lot different than it was when he first started. "Everything now needs to be approved and things just take more time to get greenlit. I’m the kind of creator that wants to be able to deliver a new experience while it still feels fresh, and I had been thinking of creating my own studio to make that possible," said Kobayashi. After joining the studio, Kobayashi expressed relief regarding how much creative freedom NetEase gives its developers. Kobayashi also detailed that his first project will be "something in line with the action games" he has worked on previously, like Devil May Cry.
While NetEase has a reputation for a lot of its market being aimed at mobile games and online games, Kobayashi states that he still wishes to develop for console and PC platforms. While GPTRACK50's first project will appear to be in the same vein of games that Kobayashi worked on at Capcom, he also has stated that he wants to reach a more global audience with his games. Kobayashi's work is still appreciated by many, with Resident Evil 4 getting a full remake in March 2023.
Kobayashi has been a heavy influence in the action and horror game genres for decades, so getting his own studio to have creative freedom should excite a lot of Resident Evil fans. NetEase previously made deals with Marvel and Pokemon partners, so this Chinese tech giant is adding even more to its library.
Source: IGN