FormerNieR: Automatadesigner and director ofAstral Chain, Takahisa Taura, has officially left PlatinumGames and will be founding a new game company called Eel Game Studio. It had been speculated since last year that Taura had left PlatinumGames, after he removed all references to his former employer from his X account and also changed his place of work on his public Facebook page. Now, he has officially acknowledged his departure and also confirmed he has created his own game studio.
According toGenkion X (who translated the original Japanese text from the latest issue ofFamitsu),Taura officially confirmed his departure from PlatinumGamesand his status as a founding member of the new company, Eel Game Studio (viaVGC). He also said that he cannot share much else at the moment.
Takahisa Taura Leaves PlatinumGames & Starts Eel Game Studio
From Designer To Director To Co-Founder
Taura originally joined theNieR: Automatateam thanks to his long desire to see a sequel to the original game, which got a remaster calledNieR Replicantin 2021 withsome gameplay updates.Automatawas Taura’s first RPG title, and he managed the game’s combat design. He also drew inspiration fromCastlevaniafor the 2D side-scrolling sections of the game. Taura served as the director for 2019’sAstral Chain,which received its ownshare of critical acclaim.
Other than the new studio name, Eel Game Studio,there is virtually no information about Taura’s role as co-founder or what type of game the studio could be working on. Given Taura’s extensive experience with action games and action RPGs, however, it is likely one genre or the other. Of course, that is just speculation.
Our Take: PlatinumGames Might Be Shifting Its Business Strategy Significantly
More Than Just Ninja Gaiden 4 Is In The Works
PlatinumGames had a job listing recently, searching for someone with"experience working on online action game development.“That could be anything in the action game genre, but with Team Ninja teaming up withPlatinumGames forNinja Gaiden 4, how PlatinumGames moves forward independently remains to be seen. The studio’s most recent fully developed games wereBayonetta 3andBayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon, both of which were exclusive to the Switch.
PlatinumGamescould very well make a big shift to making an online action gameinstead of the single-player games it has been known for. However, with at least part of PlatinumGames finishing production onNinja Gaiden 4, it may be a while before something materializes from that studio. As far as Eel Game Studios goes, most fans are probably eager to learn more about what Taura and his new studio are working on.NieR: Automata’s combat improvements were a big part of its success, so whatever Taura is working on, fans can be assured he has plenty of experience.
