Ikumi Nakamura intends to pitch Okami 2 to Capcom after COVID-19 calms down

The original game's art director is currently pursuing her own studio, but Okami 2 with Hideki Kamiya as director is something Nakamura very much still wants to pursue.

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Okami 2 is a thing that many fans of the original have begged for across quite a few years now. It seems like it would be difficult given that Capcom holds the rights, but many of the key pieces of the development team are doing their own things elsewhere. That said, it’s still a dream project for Art Director Ikumi Nakamura. In fact, Nakamura is apparently intent on pitching a Hideki Kamiya-led sequel to Capcom once the coronavirus quarantine calms down.

Ikumi Nakamura shared her thoughts on Okami 2 in an interview posted on IGN Japan on June 8, 2020. In the interview, Nakamura answered to a fan Q&A in which she described several future plans. In answering a question regarding Okami, Nakamura revealed that that she has every intention of trying to pursue Okami 2.

“It’s the project I want to make a reality the most,” Nakamura admitted. “After [COVID-19] quarantine is over and the world becomes normal again. I’m planning to make a visit to Capcom and propose the idea. But if it were to happen, the most important thing is for [Hideki Kamiya] to direct.”

Ikumi Nakamura has been out in the wild since leaving Bethesda and Tango Gameworks in 2019 following her work on GhostWire: Tokyo. In the interview, Nakamura revealed that she would very much like to create her own video game studio with an emphasis on creating gaming workshops to help children learn about game development. That said, she had been visiting many different developers in the months following her departure from Tango and many may remember when, in October of 2019, she got together with Hideki Kamiya at PlatinumGames and teased the possibility of an Okami return.

The end of the COVID-19 pandemic and the quarantine seems like a nebulous destination. It’s hard to say when things will really be able to return to any semblance of normal. However, once it does, it will remain to be seen if Capcom is receptive to an Okami 2 pitch from Nakamura. For all of the Okami fans out there (ourselves included), here’s hoping that time comes soonish and the pitch goes well.

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.

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