Teruyuki Toriyama, senior producer at Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Japan Studio, has announced his departure from the company.
In a brief note on Twitter, Toriyama said that he will be moving on from Sony by the end of December, and will continue making video games at his new company. He served as producer on a number of high-profile titles including Bloodborne, Demon’s Souls remake, Astro Bot Rescue Mission, and Soul Sacrifice.
[Notice]
I will be leaving SIE WWS JAPAN Studio at the end of Dec. To all the users who have supported JAPAN Studio so far,thank you so much! I will continue to take on the challenge of creating new game IPs in my new company, and I ask for your continued support. #JAPANStudio— 鳥山晃之 (Teruyuki Toriyama) | SIE JAPAN Studio (@TORIYAMA_SIE) December 24, 2020
Sony has lost a number of veteran developers this year amid reports that the company is shifting its focus towards the Western market and overlooking the Japanese market and development scene. Sony has repeatedly denied these reports, and has reiterated that Japan remains an important market for the company.
Toriyama’s resignation follows the departure of Keiichiro Toyama, Kazunobu Sato, and Junya Okura, who recently founded Bokeh Game Studio. The developers, all long-time Sony employees, were known for their work on franchises such as Siren and Gravity Rush. A day ago, Bokeh Game Studio revealed to IGN that it has begun work on a new horror game, which it expects to release sometime in 2023.
Toriyama has yet to reveal his new company.
