Shinji Mikami Explained

Shinji Mikami
Native Name:三上 真司
Native Name Lang:ja
Birth Date:August 11, 1965
Birth Place:Iwakuni, Yamaguchi, Japan
Alma Mater:Doshisha University
Years Active:1990–present
Founder of Tango Gameworks

is a Japanese video game designer, director, and producer. Starting his career at Capcom in 1990, he has worked on many of the company's most successful games. He directed the first installment of the Resident Evil series in 1996 and the first installment of the Dino Crisis series in 1999, both survival horror games. He returned to Resident Evil to direct the remake of the first game in 2002 and the third-person shooter Resident Evil 4 in 2005. In 2006, he directed his final Capcom game God Hand, a beat 'em up action game. Mikami founded PlatinumGames and directed the third-person shooter Vanquish in 2010. The same year, he founded his own studio Tango Gameworks which has since been acquired by the American company ZeniMax Media. Under his studio, he directed the third-person horror game The Evil Within in 2014. He has also served the roles of producer and executive producer for many games.

In 2009, he was chosen by IGN as one of the top 100 game creators of all time.[1]

Early life and education

Mikami grew up in the Yamaguchi Prefecture of Honshū island. His father, who had to enter the workforce early and drop out of high school to support his family, beat him almost daily. Beyond family life, his was a normal childhood, without video games but full of outdoor play: "Back in those days, kids had to be somewhat creative in coming up with games to play, because there wasn't that much else to occupy your free time".[2] His dream career was to be a Formula One driver.[3] In his adolescence Mikami became “obsessed” with horror films, such as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Evil Dead. Another hobby was the study of karate and kendo. After failing entrance exams two years straight, Mikami enrolled into and graduated from Doshisha University, where he majored in the study of merchandise.

Career

Early years (1990–1993)

Although Mikami played arcade video games often, his entrance into the industry came by happenstance:

His application was rejected at the screening process, then approved one week later. He joined Capcom in 1990 as a junior game designer, Mikami and fellow new hires were sent to a warehouse and ordered to "think hard about game design", then left unsupervised for the entire day. After a few months of just doing that, he was suddenly placed on a team and given a leadership position despite knowing nothing about game development.[4]

His first title, a quiz game for the Game Boy titled Capcom Quiz: Hatena? no Daibōken, was made in three months. His three subsequent releases were all based on Disney-licensed properties: Who Framed Roger Rabbit for the Game Boy, and Aladdin and Goof Troop for the Super NES.[5] Aladdin was his first hit, selling over 1.75 million units worldwide.[6] Mikami also worked on Super Lap, an unreleased F1 racing game for the Game Boy that was scheduled to be released in 1992, but was canceled after eight months of development.

Mikami learned by observing his seniors; whenever he showed them his game design documents, they called his work "uninteresting" without giving any advice. He found this environment comfortable, since it engendered independence and freedom of thought. To Mikami, the art of game making was instilled in him by Tokuro Fujiwara.

Resident Evil (1993–1996)

After the release of Goof Troop, Mikami began development in 1993 of a horror-themed adventure game for the PlayStation set in a haunted mansion, called Resident Evil,[7] originally conceived as a remake of Sweet Home (an earlier Famicom game by Capcom based on the Japanese horror film of the same name).[8] Sweet Home director Fujiwara entrusted Mikami, who was initially reluctant because he hated "being scared", with the project, because he "understood what's frightening."[9] Mikami said that Resident Evil was a response to his disappointment with Zombi 2, a gory 1979 film by Italian director Lucio Fulci; Mikami was determined to make a game with none of the failings of the movie. The resulting game became Biohazard, an action-adventure game which combined 3D polygonal characters and objects with pre-rendered backgrounds and featured zombies (among other monsters) heavily influenced by George A. Romero's Dead films.[10] The game was retitled Resident Evil during its English localization under Capcom USA's suggestion and was released in Japan and North America on March 22, 1996, and became one of the PlayStation's first successful titles. It was the first game to be dubbed a survival horror, a term Capcom coined to promote the game.[11] It was later ported to the Sega Saturn.[12]

Resident Evil was considered the defining title for survival horror games and was responsible for popularizing the genre. Its control scheme becoming a staple of the genre, and future titles would imitate its challenge of rationing highly limited resources and items.[13] The game's commercial success is credited with helping the PlayStation become the dominant game console,[14] and also led to a series of Resident Evil films. Mikami had creative control over the screenplay and script of the first movie being dubbed a creative consultant. They had Mikami in this position to make sure fans of the games would be happy. He then dropped out of the later movies because he believed that the movies were heading in the wrong direction. Many games have tried to replicate the successful formula seen in Resident Evil, and every subsequent survival horror game has arguably taken a stance in relation to it.[15]

Capcom Production Studio 4 (1997–2002)

The success of Resident Evil was shortly followed by an internal restructuring at Capcom, whose development departments were turned into a plurality of numbered divisions, and a number of game directors promoted as their leaders. The staff behind Resident Evil became Capcom Production Studio 4, with Mikami appointed as its general manager, changing his focus towards being a producer. He considers the eight years spent in this position as the nadir of his career: he could not spend all his time on creative aspects and felt that he missed out on the best phase of his life. In his new role, he oversaw the development of Resident Evil's sequel, Resident Evil 2, which he intended to tap into the classic notion of horror as "the ordinary made strange," thus rather than setting the game in a creepy mansion no one would visit, he wanted to use familiar urban settings transformed by the chaos of a viral outbreak. The game sold over five million copies, proving the popularity of survival horror. Following its release in 1998, he oversaw the development of and also directed another survival horror title Dino Crisis,[16] both of which released in 1999.[17]

Shortly after the release of Resident Evil 3 in Japan, Studio 4's output turned towards further original properties, Mikami as executive producer, including the original Devil May Cry (originally conceived as a Resident Evil game).[18] In 2000, Mikami became involved as producer of a new Resident Evil game, , a game designed from the ground up for the Dreamcast. Being a much more powerful console than the PlayStation, the Dreamcast allowed the team behind the game to add for the first time, 3D environments instead of the usual pre-rendered backgrounds. Resident Evil Code: Veronica was released in 2000 and went on to sell 1,140,000 units. That same year, Mikami's Dino Crisis 2 was released, selling 1,190,000 copies worldwide.[19]

In 2001, an expanded version of Code: Veronica was released for the Dreamcast exclusively in Japan, alongside a PlayStation 2 port that was released worldwide. This version of the game, titled Biohazard - Code: Veronica Complete Edition in Japan and Resident Evil - Code: Veronica X abroad, added ten minutes of new cutscenes not in the original release. The PS2 version, which initially came packaged with a trial version of Devil May Cry, went on to sell 1,400,000 units, according to Capcom's sales data for March 2006.[20] In 2001, in what was to be one of his most controversial business decisions, Mikami formed an exclusivity agreement with Nintendo in which the main Resident Evil games would be sold only for the GameCube. The GameCube would receive, in addition to ports of previous PlayStation and Dreamcast installments, three new numbered entries in the series: a remake of the original Resident Evil, Resident Evil Zero, and Resident Evil 4.[21] [22] Resident Evil and Resident Evil Zero were both released in 2002.[23] [24] [25]

The remake of Resident Evil was released in Japan on the sixth anniversary of the release of the original, on March 22, 2002. The remake was billed as the definitive version of the game, selling 490,000 copies in the US and 360,000 copies in Europe. In total, Resident Evil managed to sell 1,240,000 units during its first year of release. The remake's sales data was made public by Capcom during its Financial Review Report for 2002.[26]

On November 12, 2002, Resident Evil Zero was released. Gaming site gamefront.de reported that 138,855 copies of the game were sold on its first day of release. Capcom expected Resident Evil Zero to sell 1.42 million copies, but sold only 1.12 million.[27] The fact that Resident Evil Zero did not match or surpass the remake's sales figures, spread fear among Capcom executives and share holders. They worried that Resident Evil 4 would not sell well enough on GameCube.

Capcom Five, Resident Evil 4, and Capcom split (2002–2004)

In spite of Resident Evil Zeros underwhelming sales, Mikami remained confident in his support for Nintendo and announced four exclusive titles for the GameCube under development by Production Studio 4 in addition to Resident Evil 4; P.N.03, Viewtiful Joe, killer7 and Dead Phoenix. This lineup became known as the Capcom Five.[28]

The first of these games to be released was the Mikami-directed P.N. 03. The game was both a commercial and critical failure, receiving lukewarm reviews from the press and selling below expectations. As a result, Mikami stepped down as manager of Production Studio 4, while remaining as one of the head producers within the team. After his failure with P.N.03, Mikami decided to concentrate instead on the creative aspects of the Capcom 5. He eventually took over directorial duties for Resident Evil 4 from previous director, Hiroshi Shibata. Under his direction, Resident Evil 4 went through some substantial changes. Resident Evil 4 was released in 2005[29] and was one of the GameCube's top-selling titles, selling 1,250,000 units worldwide within a year. The game was critically praised, winning many game of the year awards.[30] [31] [32] [33]

Resident Evil 4 is regarded as one of the most influential games of the 2000s decade, due to its influence in redefining at least two video game genres: the survival horror and the third-person shooter.[34] Resident Evil 4 attempted to redefine the survival horror genre by emphasizing reflexes and precision aiming,[35] thus broadening the gameplay of the series with elements from the wider action game genre.[36] It helped redefine the third-person shooter genre by introducing a "reliance on offset camera angles that fail to obscure the action."[37] The "over the shoulder" viewpoint introduced in Resident Evil 4 has now become standard in third-person shooters, including titles ranging from Gears of War to . It has also become a standard “precision aim” feature for action games in general, with examples ranging from Dead Space and Grand Theft Auto to the Ratchet & Clank Future series.[38]

Mikami touted the game as a GameCube exclusive. In an interview with a Japanese magazine, Mikami even said that he would "commit harakiri" if it came out on another platform.[39] This was loosely translated as Mikami claiming to "cut [his own] head" and later parodied in God Hand, which featured a racing dog named "Mikami's Head". In a 2017 interview, he apologized for Resident Evil 4 going multiplatform.[40]

Clover Studio and God Hand (2004–2007)

After the success of Resident Evil 4, Mikami left Studio 4 and was transferred over to and originally established Clover Studio in July 2004, which employed an all-star lineup of Capcom development talent, including Atsushi Inaba (producer of Steel Battalion and Viewtiful Joe), and Hideki Kamiya (Devil May Cry director). At Clover, Mikami directed God Hand, a beat 'em up comedy game that parodies American and Japanese pop culture. It was released in Japan on September 14, 2006, and on October 10, 2006, in North America. After Clover Studio closed in 2007, Mikami joined Seeds Inc, now known as PlatinumGames, the newly formed successor of his former studio. PlatinumGames is composed of several of Mikami's former Capcom colleagues, including Hideki Kamiya (until 2023), Atsushi Inaba, Yuta Kimura, Nao Ueda, Mari Shimazaki and Masami Ueda.[41]

PlatinumGames and Vanquish (2007–2010)

Mikami formed a private development studio called Straight Story in 2006. The name of the studio is taken from David Lynch's 1999 film.[42] Their works are under the PlatinumGames branding and he is a contract employee ("external board member") of PlatinumGames. He also collaborated with Grasshopper Manufacture's Goichi Suda on Shadows of the Damned using the Unreal Engine 3 and published by EA.[43] Mikami revealed that Straight Story would close once development of Vanquish was completed, to be replaced with Mikami's new studio, Tango, which had already been established.[44]

Much like Resident Evil and Resident Evil 4 before it, the third-person shooter game Vanquish, released in 2010, has proven to be an influential title for action games.[45] It significantly improved upon the cover system, where in contrast to previous cover-based shooters, the cover in Vanquish is easily destructible, with often a single shot from a robotic enemy being enough to blast away the wall the player was hiding behind. The game also penalizes the player's ranking for the number of times they have taken cover, though its most important innovation is the power-slide mechanic that allows the player to slide into and out of cover at high speeds, or in bullet time when the player's health is low.[46] The game was given GameSpot's Best Original Game Mechanic award for its rocket-sliding game mechanic, which acts as both a defensive escape and an offensive setup, opening up new gameplay possibilities for shooter games and increasing the pace significantly.[47] Vanquish was itself inspired by Tatsunoko's 1970s anime series, Casshern.[48]

As Platinum was "overwhelmingly understaffed", Mikami sent the entire Vanquish team to work on Bayonetta. He considers his final year at the company as the second worst nadir of his career: Once Vanquish was done, his team was disbanded, and he was not given any work besides attending meetings three times a week, effectively stuck in a position.

Tango Gameworks and The Evil Within (2010–2023)

A teaser website opened on March 18, 2010, titled "Mikami Project" with a countdown attached. The website changed into a job employment page, for Mikami's new studio, "Tango".[49] On October 28, 2010, ZeniMax Media, parent company of noted game publisher Bethesda Softworks, announced Mikami joined ZeniMax after it acquired Tango Gameworks.[50] An April 2012 Famitsu interview with Mikami revealed the codename title of Zwei for the company's survival horror game The Evil Within, with Mikami directing. The game was released October 2014.[51] The game is published by Bethesda on Xbox 360, PS3, PC, PS4 and Xbox One.[52] [53] Mikami stated that this will be the last game he directs. He stated that it will be a "true" survival horror game, "one in which the player confronts and overcomes fear",[54] because he was disappointed by recent survival horror games becoming action horror games.[55] In 2019, it was announced at E3 that his studio is working on a new project titled .[56] On February 23, 2023, Bethesda Softworks announced that Mikami will leave Tango Gameworks in the coming months.[57] Mikami commented he planned to leave Tango Gameworks 8 years prior, deciding to stay at the company due to commitments with ongoing projects. As for personal reasons to leave, he comments a desire to create an environment for young developers to gain experience, and to distance himself from the survivor horror genre, which he is frequently associated with.[58]

Works

YearGameRole
1990Capcom Quiz: Hatena? no DaibōkenPlanner
1991Who Framed Roger RabbitDesigner
1993Goof Troop
Disney's AladdinPlanner
1996Resident EvilDirector
1998Resident Evil 2Producer
1999Dino CrisisDirector, producer
Producer
2000
Dino Crisis 2Executive producer
2001Advisor
Supervisor
Devil May CryExecutive producer
Resident Evil GaidenAdvisor
2002Resident EvilDirector
Steel BattalionGeneral producer
Executive producer
Resident Evil ZeroExecutive advisor
2003P.N.03Director
Dino Crisis 3Executive producer
Viewtiful Joe
2004
General producer
2005Resident Evil 4Director, writer
Killer7Executive producer, writer
2006God HandDirector
2010Vanquish
2011Shadows of the DamnedCreative producer
2014The Evil WithinDirector
2015Fallout 4Japanese voice of Takahashi
2017The Evil Within 2Executive producer
2022
2023Hi-Fi Rush

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: IGN - 7. Shinji Mikami . IGN . en . 2023-11-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140420074033/http://www.ign.com/top/game-creators/7.html . 2014-04-20.
  2. Web site: Kevin Gifford . November 10, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111103210343/http://www.1up.com/news/shinji-mikami-discusses-resident-evil . Shinji Mikami Discusses Resident Evil, Tango Gameworks, His Abusive Dad . Where Are They Now? . . . dead . November 3, 2011.
  3. News: Shinji Mikami on co-op, Dark Souls and why Suda 51 is like Akira Kurosawa. Keith. Stuart. The Guardian . October 17, 2014. May 6, 2019. www.theguardian.com.
  4. Web site: 多田慎介. June 24, 2021. そして『バイオハザード』は生まれた。会社に放置された男のゲーム開発道|三上真司の履歴書. ぼくらの履歴書|トップランナーの履歴書から「仕事人生」を深掘り!. 転職なら【エン転職】. en-japan inc. June 27, 2022.
  5. September 1998 . An Interview With Shinji Mikami . Resident Evil: The Official Comic Book Magazine #3 . Image Comics, Inc..
  6. Web site: Company Profile. Capcom. February 15, 2011. May 2002.
  7. Scott Butterworth, Resident Evil Creator Shinji Mikami Reflects on the Series' Roots, GameSpot (March 22, 2016)
  8. https://web.archive.org/web/20130512105201/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/281325/features/time-machine-sweet-home/ Time Machine: Sweet Home
  9. http://www.glitterberri.com/developer-interviews/tokuro-fujiwara/ The Man Who Made Ghosts’n Goblins: Tokuro Fujiwara Interview
  10. News: Stuart . Keith . September 30, 2014 . Shinji Mikami: the godfather of horror games . . October 31, 2014 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20141028202905/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/sep/30/shinji-mikami-evil-within-resident-evil . October 28, 2014.
  11. Web site: The Career of Shinji Mikami in 7 Games. Schilling. Chris. October 1, 2014. IGN. en-US. March 19, 2017.
  12. Nutter . Lee . Hear No Evil See No Evil! . . 22 . . August 1997 . 44–51 . November 25, 2018.
  13. Web site: Jim Sterling. June 9, 2008. Fear 101: A Beginner's Guide to Survival Horror. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120118205431/http://retro.ign.com/articles/880/880202p1.html. January 18, 2012. April 17, 2009. IGN.
  14. Web site: Brett Todd . A Modern History of Horror Games . . March 18, 2007 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070518141649/http://uk.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/pc/history_horror_pt1/p2_01.html . May 18, 2007.
  15. Book: Horror Film . Steffen Hantke . Richard J. Hand . Proliferating Horrors: Survival Horror and the Resident Evil Franchise . 2004 . Univ. Press of Mississippi . 117–134 .
  16. The PlayStation Magazine #5 May 1995. The PlayStation. 5. SoftBank. May 1995. ja. (Translation by Shmuplations)
  17. Web site: Travis Fahs. IGN Presents the History of Survival Horror (Page 5). dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120314223839/http://uk.retro.ign.com/articles/104/1040759p5.html. March 14, 2012. January 26, 2011. IGN.
  18. Kevin Gifford, Mark MacDonald . April 2005 . Afterthoughts: Resident Evil 4 . . . 190 . 51–52.
  19. Web site: CAPCOM Platinum Titles . Capcom.co.jp . June 12, 2019 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090505174010/http://ir.capcom.co.jp/english/business/million.html . May 5, 2009.
  20. Web site: CAPCOM Platinum Titles . https://web.archive.org/web/20161201214236/http://www.capcom.co.jp/ir/english/finance/million.html . 2016-12-01 . 2024-06-29 . CAPCOM IR.
  21. Web site: Capcom Brings the Evil to Cube . . September 11, 2001 . April 30, 2015 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150430214827/http://www.ign.com/articles/2001/09/11/capcom-brings-the-evil-to-cube . April 30, 2015.
  22. Shinji Mikami X Tatsuya Minami . Hyper Capcom Special 2002 Summer . July 15, 2002 . Sony Magazines.
  23. Biohazard . . June 2002 . . 68 . 8–16.
  24. Web site: Resident Evil Ships . IGN . April 30, 2002 . April 30, 2015 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150430213551/http://www.ign.com/articles/2002/04/30/resident-evil-ships . April 30, 2015.
  25. Web site: Resident Evil Zero - GameCube - GameSpy . cube.gamespy.com . February 4, 2017 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150905143245/http://cube.gamespy.com/gamecube/resident-evil-zero/ . September 5, 2015.
  26. Web site: Company Profile May – 2003 . 2024-06-29 . CAPCOM IR.
  27. Web site: Capcom declares losses, shelves 18 games . Niizumi . Hirohiko . April 18, 2003 . GameSpot . October 31, 2014 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20140322015719/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/capcom-declares-losses-shelves-18-games/1100-6025321/ . March 22, 2014.
  28. Web site: Capcom's Fantastic Five . November 13, 2002 . IGN . July 17, 2010 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20080117104153/http://cube.ign.com/articles/377/377330p1.html . January 17, 2008.
  29. Web site: Wilson. Andrew. November 1, 2004. Capcom Adds Resident Evil 4 to PlayStation 2 Line-Up. Gamasutra.
  30. Web site: RE4 named Game of Year at Spike Awards . Sinclair . Brendan . GameSpot . November 19, 2005 . January 28, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20061223183800/http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/adventure/residentevil4/news.html?sid=6140144 . December 23, 2006.
  31. Resident Evil 4 . Nintendo Power . March 2005 . 105.
  32. Resident Evil 4 . Game Informer . March 2005 . 134.
  33. Web site: "Famitsu Awards 2005"大賞は『キングダム ハーツII』と『バイオハザード4』!! . "Famitsu Awards 2005" prize "Kingdom Hearts II" and "Resident Evil 4"! . . ja . January 28, 2007 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20070126073219/http://www.famitsu.com/game/news/2006/04/21/103,1145605197,52094,0,0.html . January 26, 2007.
  34. Web site: Decade in Review: The most influential video games since Y2K. December 30, 2009. Daniel Kaszor. The National Post. January 24, 2010. dead. https://archive.today/20100609234921/http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/theampersand/archive/2009/12/30/370674.aspx. June 9, 2010.
  35. Web site: Capcom's RE4 Reinvigorates the Franchise . James Brightman . February 14, 2008 . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080214160947/http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/features/capcoms-re4-reinvigorates-the-franchise/67572/?biz=1 . February 14, 2008.
  36. Web site: Gateway to Horror . https://archive.today/20120605051156/http://www.ugo.com/movies/gateway-to-horror/?cur=gateway-to-horror-games-resident-evil-4 . dead . June 5, 2012 . . October 17, 2008 . April 16, 2009.
  37. Dobson, Jason, Post-GDC: Cliff Bleszinski Says Iteration Won Gears of War, Gamasutra, March 12, 2007, Accessed April 2, 2009, Archived from the original on June 5, 2011, on the Wayback Machine
  38. Web site: Gaming's most important evolutions. GamesRadar_ US 2010-10-09T05:00:03 281Z. Feature. gamesradar. October 9, 2010 . May 6, 2019.
  39. Hyper CAPCOM Special, summer 2002
  40. Web site: Shinji Mikami (Person) - Giant Bomb. Giant Bomb. en. March 19, 2017.
  41. Web site: Clover Reborn . Gantayat . Anoop . February 15, 2007 . IGN . May 1, 2016 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160410015517/http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/02/15/clover-reborn . April 10, 2016.
  42. Web site: Meeting Mikami. . Gamer Network. Simon . Parkin. October 19, 2014. January 17, 2016.
  43. October 7, 2008. Grasshopper Manufacture Licenses Unreal Engine 3. Epic Games. April 2, 2009. January 26, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120126100356/http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/916/916867p1.html.
  44. Web site: David Hinkle. Shinji Mikami opening new Tokyo-based studio, Tango. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150225033241/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/17/shinji-mikami-opening-new-tokyo-based-studio-tango. February 25, 2015. Joystiq.
  45. https://metro.co.uk/2011/01/07/morning-inbox-10-01-11-628333/amp/ Games Inbox: Assassin's Creed III hints, ninjas vs. samurai, and hydrophilia
  46. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/video-games/8071641/Vanquish-video-game-review.html Vanquish video game review
  47. Web site: Special Achievement: Best Original Game Mechanic. https://web.archive.org/web/20110115135119/http://uk.gamespot.com/best-of-2010/special-achievement/index.html?page=17 . January 15, 2011 . GameSpot. May 6, 2019.
  48. Web site: Vanquish Visuals Inspired By Casshern. July 3, 2010. July 5, 2010. Siliconera. Spencer.
  49. March 18, 2010. Mikami Project. March 18, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20110201152808/http://mikami-project.com/. February 1, 2011.
  50. Web site: Purchese, Robert . March 13, 2012 . Resi creator Shinji Mikami sheds light on Bethesda/ZeniMax game . . May 16, 2012.
  51. Web site: Sinclair. Brendan. ZeniMax acquires Shinji Mikami studio. Gamespot.
  52. Web site: Drake, Audrey. April 26, 2012. Resident Evil Creator Returns to Survival Horror. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120529061949/http://games.ign.com/articles/122/1223702p1.html. May 29, 2012. May 16, 2012. IGN.
  53. Web site: Bethesda.net. bethsoft.com. en. March 19, 2017.
  54. Brown. Nathan. April 26, 2012. Mikami: Zwei is "pure survival horror". dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130531124346/http://www.edge-online.com/news/mikami-zwei-pure-survival-horror/. May 31, 2013. August 8, 2012. Edge.
  55. Web site: The godfather of video game horror: Shinji Mikami interview. Tom. Hoggins. June 24, 2014. May 6, 2019. www.telegraph.co.uk.
  56. Web site: O'Connor. Alice. June 10, 2019. The Evil Within studio spooking us again with GhostWire: Tokyo. July 15, 2019. Rock, Paper, Shotgun.
  57. Web site: Romano. Sal. February 23, 2023. Shinji Mikami to leave Tango Gameworks. Gematsu. February 23, 2023.
  58. Web site: V. Amber. Resident Evil director Shinji Mikami explains why he left Tango Gameworks and founded Kamuy. Automaton Media. April 26, 2024. April 27, 2024.