Legendary Game Designer Hideaki Itsuno Leaves Capcom After 30 Years—What’s Next for Devil May Cry?

Japanese game designer Hideaki Itsuno announced that after 30 years and 5 months with Capcom, he is leaving the company to start working on a new game at a different studio beginning in September.

Itsuno's journey at Capcom began in 1994. He initially took charge of developing Star Gladiator and Rival Schools: United by Fate, and later went on to work on titles like Power Stone, Power Stone 2, Project Justice, Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower, One Piece Mansion, Capcom vs SNK 2, Auto Modellista, Devil May Cry 2, Devil May Cry 3, Devil May Cry 4, Dragon’s Dogma, Devil May Cry 5, and Dragon’s Dogma II.

You can find the complete list of games below.

Fans of Devil May Cry were immediately concerned after Itsuno’s announcement, as he has been a pivotal figure in the series’ development and was instrumental in convincing Capcom’s leadership to continue the franchise. Historically, Devil May Cry has not been a priority for Capcom, as other franchises like Street Fighter, Resident Evil, and Monster Hunter have been far more profitable.

As of now, the future of the Devil May Cry series is uncertain. While Capcom has plenty of talented developers, the executives may lack the motivation to invest in a new installment. It’s been over five years since the release of Devil May Cry 5, and there has been no news about a sixth game, despite the success of the fifth installment, which had sold 8 million copies as of March this year.