Hiroyuki Kobayashi had been with Capcom for nearly three decades, first working with the iconic developer in 1995 as a programmer on the first Resident Evil. He would go on to serve as producer on a plethora of Capcom franchises with highly successful titles like Resident Evil 4, Devil May Cry, and Dragon’s Dogma under his belt. Kobayashi would also be the executive producer for a small selection of games including Resident Evil 6 and Mega Man 11. Now, an announcement via his Twitter account confirms Kobayashi has left Capcom for NetEase.

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Hiroyuki Kobayashi officially announced the transition to NetEase through his Twitter Friday morning, coinciding with the producer’s 50th birthday. Kobayashi revealed that he had previously left Capcom as of March 31st and would be joining NetEase as a producer moving forward. The reveal did not share any details about upcoming projects with NetEase, simply telling fans to “stay tuned” with plans to come later. Kobayashi concluded the announcement on a positive note, stating his desire to “create more enjoyable entertainment experiences” with NetEase.

The acquisition of Hiroyuki Kobayashi adds another major player in the gaming industry to NetEase’s lineup as the company has continually expanded. Alongside the previously-mentioned Grasshopper Manufacture, NetEase has made major investments in studios like Bungie and Quantic Dream. The Chinese studio also licenses several popular games for the Chinese market like Minecraft and Overwatch, even reportedly working with Blizzard on a canceled World of Warcraft mobile MMO.

Kobayashi’s departure from Capcom leaves a lasting legacy as he contributed not only to some of the developer’s most prominent games, but many popular niche franchises as well. Kobayashi worked on all three Dino Crisis games, serving as planner for the first and producer for Dino Crisis 2 and 3. He was also heavily involved in the Sengoku Basara series, serving as a producer on several games and a supervisor for the anime adaptations. Kobayashi will bring nearly three decades of experience with one of Japan’s top developers to his new position at NetEase.

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Source: GamesIndustry.biz