Report: Hideaki Itsuno's New Studio Is Hiring For An Online Action Game
The director who single-handedly revived the stylish action genre might be trading single-player combos for server ticks and matchmaking queues.
When Hideaki Itsuno announced he was leaving Capcom after thirty years to join LightSpeed Studios, I was cautiously optimistic. This is the guy who directed Devil May Cry 3, 4, and 5, plus Dragon's Dogma. He has earned enough goodwill that I would trust him to direct a traffic jam. But a recent job listing spotted by ClawsomeGamer has thrown a wrench in my expectations. It looks like his "original AAA action game" is going to have a significant online component.
The Devil Is In The Description
LightSpeed Studios Japan is currently hunting for a System Designer. This sounds standard enough until you look at the qualifications. The listing explicitly asks for practical experience with "online games" not just once, but multiple times.
It mentions online experience in relation to gameplay systems and overall development structure. If this was just a leaderboard feature or a small "pawn system" like Dragon's Dogma, they wouldn't be prioritizing online architecture experience for a core System Designer role. This suggests that connectivity is baked into the foundation of the game.
Tencent, LightSpeed, And The Online Push
We have to remember who is signing the checks here. LightSpeed is a subsidiary of Tencent. Tencent loves online games the way I love complaining about bad UI. They built their empire on multiplayer experiences like PUBG Mobile.
It makes sense that they would want a star director like Itsuno to spearhead a game that keeps players logged in. The fear, of course, is that we lose the tight, responsive combat that Itsuno is famous for. Devil May Cry works because it is precise. Introducing latency and netcode into that equation is a nightmare scenario for action purists.
Could It Be 'Dragon's Dogma Online' Spiritually?
To be fair, Itsuno has dabbled in this before. Dragon's Dogma had its asynchronous multiplayer, and Dragon's Dogma Online (which never came West, tragically) was actually well-regarded for its combat.
If Itsuno is trying to create a high-fidelity action game where you and three friends beat up mythological monsters with DMC-level combat depth, I am listening. But if this turns into a generic live-service grinder with battle passes and daily login bonuses, it is going to be a tragic waste of one of the industry's best combat directors.
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