Okami Sequel Dev Wants to Prioritise Creativity, Keep Investors at Arm's Length 1
Image: Push Square

One of the biggest surprises at this year's Game Awards show was the announcement of an Okami Sequel.

In development at Hideki Kamiya's new independent studio, Clovers, little is currently known about the project, save for the teaser trailer used to make the announcement.

Speaking in an interview with Denfaminicogamer (via Automaton), Kamiya has shed a bit of light on the studio's approach to making games now and in the future.

In particular, he speaks about the importance of maintaining independence, and keeping outside influences to a minimum. "In order to focus on making the kind of unique and creative games that we are aiming for, we need to make sure that our investors cannot easily interfere in the company," Kamiya says.

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To this end, investors will supply funds on a per project basis, meaning they'll help finance individual games rather than the overall studio itself.

Kamiya also highlights the scope of game he's aiming for with Clovers, which is targeting an employee headcount of around 70. "Personally, I am not interested in making the kind of huge games that people generally refer to as AAA titles," he says.

"Of course, such games are important, but I personally like to play games that show the creators’ individuality. (…) As a creator, I think it is fun to make such games," Kamiya continues.

So, it sounds like the plan is to keep the scale somewhat small with a tight focus and minimal messing from external sources. Sounds good to us.

The Okami sequel is probably going to take some time to appear, but we're excited to see this come back — as is Kamiya, who says working with Capcom on the IP again is "a joy that cannot be described in words".

Are you looking forward to seeing what Clovers cooks up? Discuss in the comments section below.

[source news.denfaminicogamer.jp, via automaton-media.com]