Yoko Taro Defends Hideki Kamiya, the Main Toxic Figure of the Japanese Gaming Industry
CLOVERS studio, led by Hideki Kamiya, creator of Devil May Cry and Bayonetta, released a new episode of their YouTube show Cafe Four Leaf on January 23. In the latest episode, guest Yoko Taro, creator of NieR and Drakengard and close friend of Kamiya, participated, and the topic inevitably shifted to Kamiya’s notorious antics on social media.
Kamiya is known for responding without hesitation to mentions from both fans and haters on social media, as well as freely using his right to block anyone who annoys him. Although he often happily shares stories about his work and facts from the development process, when someone breaks his rules (for example, is rude or asks a question he has already answered), he immediately calls that person an "insect" and most likely blocks them. However, he is also generous when it comes to unblocking those who repent and politely ask him to do so.
Yoko Taro jokes about Kamiya’s chaotic online persona, while noting that in private life he is quite reserved, but speaking seriously, he says he’s glad people like Kamiya exist in the industry. When you are a game creator and public figure, you attract the attention of many people, including genuine weirdos. Some of them say completely absurd or inappropriate things. But since they are your clients and your audience, you can’t respond to them with full force.
The situation Yoko Taro describes is probably much more characteristic of Japanese developers, considering how strong the “customer comes first” principle is even in the gaming industry. Although large gaming companies like Sega and Square Enix have recently started implementing more effective measures against so-called “customer harassment,” developers still have little they can do on a personal level to protect themselves from daily online harassment.
But Kamiya fights back. He simply tells them: "Go away, insects!" Just like in real life there are people who can scold you if you are provoked, I think it’s overall positive — to instill fear that such people exist among game creators too. That’s why I think Kamiya-san’s presence in the gaming industry is very reassuring.
Kamiya agreed with this opinion, commenting: “Many people assume that we will just sit and be their punching bags, so they are stunned when you suddenly fight back.”
Although Kamiya is a force to be reckoned with on X, Yoko Taro and his colleagues at CLOVERS claim that at work and in private life he is a completely different person.