Former Devil May Cry and Dragon's Dogma 2 director says he can't make "the kind of games I'd most like to" as "they'd be too out there" and "probably wouldn't sell"
They simply wouldn't "be judged as commercially viable"

Hideaki Itsuno, a Capcom veteran with credits on iconic games like the Devil May Cry series and both Dragon's Dogma entries, explains why he isn't able to produce the sorts of titles he'd like to: they're too "out there," apparently.
Itsuno, who most recently directed Devil May Cry 5 and Dragon's Dogma 2 before departing from Capcom to start work on his own "new project" – a mysterious AAA game – reveals as much in an interview with Famitsu (as later translated by Automaton). After confirming that his upcoming title was pitched by him directly and accepted without any problems, he states that he's not actually developing the kind of game he's always dreamed of making.
"Strictly speaking, no," admits Itsuno – and it all boils down to the fact that the market likely doesn't have space for such games. "I think the kind of games I'd most like to make probably wouldn't sell. They'd be too out there to be judged as commercially viable. I am well aware of this myself, so instead, I extract specific elements from those game ideas and combine them with elements I know from experience will work. That's how I'm building our new title.”
The former Devil May Cry and Dragon's Dogma adds, "Whenever I'm asked to propose new projects, I usually submit five or six ideas and mix in about two that I really want to do, but they never get chosen."
Sadly, Itsuno concludes that it's unlikely he'll ever attempt to develop any of these more "out there" ideas into full products – even later on down the line as part of any of his future games. They're simply too niche… and strangely unique, it sounds like.
I, for one, would love to know what "the kind of games I'd most like to do" actually means, so I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that whatever his new project does end up being has just a little bit of that odd flair he mentions.
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After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.
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