Osaka is home to LightSpeed Japan Studio, which is part of Tencent. It is also home to the director of Devil May Cry V.

Led by Hideaki Itsuno, the director of Devil May Cry 2–5 and the Dragon’s Dogma series, LightSpeed Japan Studio has announced that it will open a new office in Osaka in addition to its Tokyo branch. The studio will also bring in Capcom veterans Bingo Morihashi, Daigo Ikeno, and Gouda Cheese (who, judging by his name, must love cheese or perhaps was a mouse in a previous life).

Morihashi will serve as narrative director. He previously worked on the Devil May Cry and Dragon’s Dogma series, among others. Ikeno, an illustrator, will serve as art director. His past credits include character designs for Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, Devil May Cry 2, Devil May Cry 3, Devil May Cry 5, and Street Fighter IV. Gouda, also known as Bengus, is an illustrator who will take on the role of art designer. His work includes 2D character designs for the Darkstalkers and Marvel vs. Capcom series, as well as contributions to the anime Battle Spirits: Shounen Gekiha Dan.

“By establishing studios in Tokyo and Osaka, we’ve created a system that allows us to tap into Japan’s best game development talent. The newly recruited senior staff bring proven leadership in narrative development, art direction, and character design, and they will serve as the driving force behind our innovative AAA action game. It’s extremely rare in Japan these days to create original AAA intellectual property from scratch, and that is exactly what we intend to do,” Itsuno wrote in the press release.

LightSpeed Japan Studio currently has around 40 staff members and is working on a next-generation, multiplatform AAA action game based on a brand-new IP. In other words, it will essentially not be a Devil May Cry title, as the IP remains with Capcom. The studio is currently hiring for multiple positions in both Tokyo and Osaka.

Source: Gematsu, PR Times