Shutaro Ida, Creative Director of Bloodstained and Programmer on Several Castlevania Games, Has Passed Away
The death of Shutaro Ida, a Japanese programmer, writer, and designer, has been reported. The news that he passed away after a long battle with cancer was shared by the studio ArtPlay.
Shutaro Ida died on February 10 at the age of 52. A private funeral was held for close family.
Ida is known as a programmer on several Castlevania games and the creative director of the Bloodstained series.
"Shutaro made significant contributions to the game industry by creating many works. His passing is an irreplaceable loss, and it is all the more bitter to think of how much more he could have given us," wrote ArtPlay co-founder Koji Igarashi.
The last project Ida worked on was a new entry in the Bloodstained series titled Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement. Its release is scheduled for 2026—the title is currently in the final stages of production. Koji Igarashi promised that The Scarlet Engagement will be completed in honor of his late colleague.
Shutaro Ida began his career in the industry in the 90s, working as a programmer at Konami. His first project with the company was Sexy Parodius in 1996 for PlayStation and SEGA Saturn, and among his last were Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain from 2015.
After leaving Konami, Ida joined Igarashi at ArtPlay to work on Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, which was funded through a Kickstarter campaign.