Once a force to be reckoned with, or at the very least the source of inspiration for many across the globe, the Japanese video game scene has lost much of its luster in recent years. Mostly to western developers, who have now taken the lead to a large extent. Though hardest hit are the creative individuals.
Some of the brightest minds are trying their best to make it on their own, who all left lofty positions at studios due to their bosses being unwilling to change with the times (Keiji Inafune, creator of Mega Man, is a prime example). While others have seemingly fallen off the map (like Yu Suzuki, Yuji Naka, and many others from Sega).
Seemingly, the only one who has retained his name value is Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto. But then you have Shinji Mikami. He made a name for himself as the creator of Resident Evil, but managed to stay relevant outside of Capcom. Via the output of the studio he formed with other ex-Capcom vets, Platinum, with the highlight on that end being Vanquish.
Mikami is now in charge of another studio, Tango Gameworks, where he's directing Project Zwei, which will be his return to the genre that he helped to create: survival horror. But it will also be the last game he directs, according to Destructoid.
No one knows what means, but more than likely, it doesn't sound like he's done with video games. After all, Mikami just joined the ZeniMax Media Inc (parent company of Bethesda Softworks), and surely they'd love to have the guy around, even if it's purely as an advisor.
