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Shinji Mikami was the director of the original Resident Evil, and he's had quite the prolific career since including the aforementioned game and its 2002 remake, Resident Evil 4, Vanquish and more although he's not directed a game since 2014's The Evil Within, which he previously indicated would be his last in the role. Now, in a new interview, the prolific developer has revealed what it might take to get him to take the director's chair one last time.
Speaking to Variety about his 30 years in the business, Mikami said if he was to take the lead on one more project before he retires, he'd want to be in control of it "My thinking is that if I had a chance to make a game from the beginning to end that’s completely my vision, then definitely, that would be my big last project as a director. It would probably be more fitting as that ‘last game I direct’ kind of thing."
Mikami also spoke during the interview on Resident Evil 4 and how it marked a huge departure from the series, revealing initial feedback from internal playtesting on the game was harsh "I do remember receiving a two-page report fully just packed with comments, saying negative things about ‘this is not “Resident Evil,” this is completely not “Resident Evil” and I will not let this happen. But I was very lucky I was strong-hearted. I was able to survive reading all that."
The developer was also asked about the upcoming Resident Evil 4 remake all-but-confirmed to be in the works at Capcom, although Mikami himself also confirmed he is not involved: "They have a good formula of taking the IP and using it in a routine way to create revenue and that’s a very good way for increasing business."
The next game his Tango Gameworks studio is currently working on will be upcoming PlayStation 5 exclusive Ghostwire: Tokyo, which is scheduled for a 2021 release with Mikami credited on that project as an executive producer. Our Josh wrote a bit about what he considers Shinji's most liberating game—2010's Vanquish—right over here.
