From Capcom to NetEase: Resident Evil producer is leaving the studio after 27 years

After 27 years, Hiroyuki Kobayashi is leaving his longtime employer Capcom and moving to NetEase. During his time in the studio he produced big titles like Resident Evil.

Farewell via tweet

A few days ago, Kobayashi tweeted, “Today, August 12th is my 50th birthday. Because of this, I want to share something very special with everyone: After 27 years of service with gratitude, I left Capcom on August 31st. Left March 2022 and officially joined NetEase Games as a producer.”

“Detailed plans will be announced later, so please stay tuned. I will strive to create even more enjoyable entertainment experiences for everyone in this new company in this new era. Thank you for your continued support.”

Since 1995, Kobayashi has worked at Capcom – the studio behind major franchises such as Monster Hunter and Resident Evil. At that time he was not yet a producer, but worked as a programmer on the first Resident Evil part. He later worked as a producer for Dino Crisis, Devil May Cry, Dragon’s Dogma, Sengoku Basara and of course Resident Evil.

This is where Kobayashi works now

NetEase gives Kobayashi a contrast program. Instead of action-heavy games, the Chinese technology company relies on free-to-play titles – such as MMORPGs like Westward Journey or Battle Royales like Knives Out.

Also, NetEase is working with various Western game companies to bring their games to the Chinese market. For example, NetEase has licenses for Minecraft, World of WarCraft and EVE Online. The developer is also said to be working with Bungie on a mobile game based in the Destiny universe.