Resident Evil Creator’s New Studio Collaborates with Stellar Blade Developer

Shinji Mikami’s new studio, Unbound, has been acquired by Shift Up, marking a collaboration that brings the legendary Resident Evil director back into the spotlight with his first game since departing from Tango Gameworks, the studio behind The Evil Within, in 2023.

“I am very pleased to be partnering with Shift Up CEO Hyung-Tae Kim and all the employees,” Mikami stated in a press release. “I sense strong synergy with CEO Kim, who is also an active creator, and I believe this is an ideal partnership that allows us to focus on creativity. We will do our best to create fun games so that both companies, working as one, can meet our fans’ expectations.”

Unbound, located in Tokyo, currently boasts around 50 developers and is focused on crafting original IPs for PC and console that aim for a global audience. Alongside the announcement, a video was released introducing the partnership, hinting at the potential tone of Unbound’s upcoming game.

Mikami’s last project with Capcom was the 2006 beat ’em up God Hand. After parting ways with the publisher, he collaborated with Platinum Games on Vanquish before founding Tango Gameworks under Bethesda. There, he launched the survival horror series The Evil Within and supported a new generation of developers in creating original titles like Ghostwire: Tokyo and Hi-Fi Rush.

Shift Up is also busy with several new projects, including a sequel to 2023’s Stellar Blade, a sci-fi action-adventure that helped elevate the Korean developer’s reputation. “I grew up playing games from Shinji Mikami,” Kim expressed in a company blog post. “And to be here now working together is incredibly meaningful.” However, Kim emphasizes that excitement is just part of the equation; his vision for Shift Up as a publisher is grounded in a straightforward belief: “If a work is good, people will naturally understand its value without needing excessive praise or forced recommendations.”