Dragon's Dogma 2 and Devil May Cry 5 director Hideaki Itsuno has signed up with the newly-formed Japanese contingent of the Tencent-owned LightSpeed Studios, where he'll be creating "original AAA action game titles".
According to a news post on the Lightspeed website, Itsuno will head up the appropriately-named LightSpeed Japan Studio, which marks "a major step in LightSpeed Studios' global expansion".
Itsuno describes his appointment as "an exciting new chapter for me", promising to create "aesthetic and innovative experiences for the global player community" and exhorting talented developers from around the world to "join [his team's] vision".
According to the aforementioned announcement post, LightSpeed Japan Studio will consist of two locations in Tokyo and Osaka, and it "offers a flexible and inclusive work environment".
If you're wondering where you've heard LightSpeed's name before, it's the co-developer of mobile smash hit PUBG Mobile (alongside Krafton, which is apparently also currently working on a mobile version of Palworld).
Despite LightSpeed's best-known game being a mobile title, the fact Itsuno and Japan Studio will be working on "AAA action game titles" suggests that he'll be primarily working within the PC and console spaces.
Of course, we're still very early on in Itsuno's appointment and the lifespan of Japan Studio, so we'll have to wait and see exactly what he and his team cook up in future.
Itsuno is just one of many industry luminaries that have jumped ship to Chinese-financed studios in recent times.
Others include original Yakuza-slash-Like a Dragon creator Toshihiro Nagoshi, BioWare veteran Mac Walters, and Itsuno's fellow former Capcom alumnus Hiroyuki Kobayashi, as well as the likes of Dragon Quest producer Ryutaro Ichimura and ex-Ubisoft staffer Sean Crooks.
Itsuno and Tencent have yet to announce their debut title under the LightSpeed Japan Studio name, so stay tuned for more info on this and all other things industry-related.
