We all remember that moment from E3 2019, right? The one where, at the Bethesda conference, Ghostwire: Tokyo was shown, and one Ikumi Nakamura walked out and stole the show with her moments of adorable awkwardness. That clip of her onstage went viral almost as soon as it happened, cementing her as one to look out for in the gaming industry. When Nakamura left Tango Gameworks in 2019 for health reasons, not long after the E3 she went viral at, it drew a lot of sadness at the time, but also optimism and well wishes for whatever she would do next. Now though, we’ve found out what that next step is.
Ikumi Nakamura will be moving on and forming her own indie studio, the name of which hasn’t been revealed yet. Her decision was revealed in a 17-minute documentary on the Cutscenes YouTube channel, where she also talked about her decision to leave Tango Gameworks, and how leaving has refocused her desire to make games she loves.
I was running away in a way. However, I believe that running away can be very positive. Rather than stacking things upon oneself, I think that running away for something better is the healthier choice.
It was a chance for me to travel and learn what made a good working environment. I decided to use that experience to open my small studio and build my IP. I want to try my hand at an IP again in a studio.”
