Koji Igarashi departs from Konami

Longtime Castlevania producer Koji Igarashi (aka IGA) has departed from Konami (via IGN) effective March 15. Igarashi is scheduled to talk at GDC this Friday on the topic "There and Back Again: Koji Igarashi's Metroidvania Tale".

Igarashi issued the following statement to IGN: "I've decided to break out on my own to have the freedom to make the kind of games I really want to make -- the same kind I think fans of my past games want as well. Leaving Konami was a big decision, and not one I took lightly - I've spent my entire career there, made many friends, and had a lot of great opportunities - but I hope all the gamers and fans who have supported me in the past will join me in being excited about what comes next. Wish me luck!"

Igarashi's departure should come as no major surprise as the Castlevania franchise has been in the hands of Spanish developers Mercury Steam as of late. It does, however, sound like IGA is planning on continuing working on "Metroidvania" style games - perhaps a Kickstarter is in the pipeline?