Legendary Game Developer Ikumi Nakamura On Her Next Game, Art, & The Power Of Horror

Japanese developer Ikumi Nakamura, known for her work on Kemuri, Ghostwire: Tokyo, and The Evil Within, has one of the most prominent careers in the gaming industry and, most specifically, within the horror genre. She became a viral sensation having presented a trailer for Ghostwire: Tokyo at E3 2019 and showing her work at Tango Gameworks. However, Nakamura began her work long before, having started as a background production artist for Okami at Clover Studios. Later on, with the closure of Clover and the start of PlatinumGames, the developer worked as a concept artist for the reputable Bayonetta.

Nakamura’s name had been tightly linked to Hideki Kamiya having worked with him at Clover and PlatinumGames, and then she became an apprentice to Shinji Mikami, the creator of the Resident Evil series as they worked together on The Evil Within at Tango Gameworks. In 2021, Ikumi Nakamura announced that she had started her own studio, Unseen, following her departure from Tango in 2019. In 2023, she then announced Kemuri, the new studio’s first project, which has yet to be released. At BGS 2024, Screen Rant had the opportunity to talk to her about her career and what’s to come.

What We Know About Kemuri So Far

An Ambitious Game Still Shrouded In Mystery

So far, very few details about Kemuri have been revealed. The game was one of the announcements at The Game Awards 2023 and the reveal came alongside a short cinematic trailer. Kemuri is a new action game by Unseen set in a universe that blends “traditional Japanese folklore, modern culture, anime aesthetics and international flair where supernatural wonders exist just beyond the vision of ordinary people.” The game will put players in the role of a yokai hunter, where they will fight their targets in “fast-paced combat.”

Based on the trailer, it seems like Kemuri will feature a heavy dosage of parkour-inspired exploration and movement to traverse a heavily urbanized city with hints of cyberpunk in its design. The game seems to feature several characters for players to either choose or create, each with unique abilities, and a roster of yokai-inspired creatures that will likely be the prey of the hunters. The game promises to offer players “existential themes and moral dilemmas” during the hunts, though it is uncertain to what extent.

Related

Ghostwire: Tokyo Xbox Review: An Almost Seamless Port

Despite its original flaws being present, the quality of this game and its inclusion on Game Pass makes trying it out an easy recommendation.

The details about Kemuri as a product are also still mysterious, as the game by Unseen does not have a release window nor are the platforms for which it will be released known so far. It’s believed that the debut title is still in development and that more details should be made public once the studio has more concrete information to provide. Compared to larger AAA studios, Unseen is a small operation with around 60 employees across developers and other roles, such as PR and Community Manager.

Screen Rant Chats With Ikumi Nakamura On Her Favorite Games & What Inspires Kemuri’s Art Style

The Developer Takes Influence From Her First Job In The Gaming Industry

Screen Rant: Just to kick things off, what are your top three games of all time?

Ikumi Nakamura: It’s a difficult question, isn’t it? The first two are Devil May Cry and Resident Evil 3 . And the third is Kemuri , which I am developing right now .

Screen Rant: From Okami at Clover Studios to Kemuri at Unseen now, how would you say your perception of art has changed over the years?

Ikumi Nakamura: Okami is a stylized game, and from the experience I gathered with it, I was able to apply a unique style to Kemuri . Kemuri has a more Japanese-influenced style, but with some American influences, such as those from Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse . We also use this brush-like style in Kemuri , an influence that comes from Okami , too.

Ikumi Nakamura States Art & Multiculturalism Are At The Forefront Of Unseen

Kemuri Should Transmit Some Of The Studio’s Ideals

Screen Rant: Art has been a pillar for the very structure of Unseen. You’ve been headhunting artists from various backgrounds from the most varied roles, like Denise Rashidi and Liam Wong. How do you think Unseen stands out from other studios with its heavy investment in art across all sections?

Ikumi Nakamura: I think Unseen pays a lot of attention to art and it has several people with different backgrounds, from across the world, like the two you mentioned. So, I think Unseen is different from other studios in that sense because of its multiculturalism. When I was looking for a developer, I’d send messages to people all around the world and not only the Japanese.

The same goes for artists. Additionally, we have a lot of talented people from other backgrounds. Liam [Wong], for instance, comes from photography, which I believe gives him a unique toolkit. I believe having all these talents with different backgrounds can positively contribute to Kemuri .

Screen Rant: Video games as art have a very unique way of spreading their message to the players. With Okami, which you worked on, I understood myself as an Asian man and finally came to terms with the idea that I was different than most of my white friends and colleagues, but still equally interesting and important. What types of messages do you want to spread with Unseen and its games?

Ikumi Nakamura: I believe that one of the central messages for both Unseen and Kemuri is multiculturalism. Unseen is a borderless company. We have people working from different places across the world and they all have different ages, backgrounds, genders, and ethnicities. I think that this type of harmony established by the multiculturalism we’ve achieved is something that’s really important, having all types of people working together.

How Ikumi Nakamura Sees Horror As A Genre

The Unseen Leader Talks About Her First Contact With Horror

Screen Rant: You’ve been an icon that’s deeply associated with horror and the paranormal, and, despite your divergent personality from anything horror-like or supernatural, you’ve embraced it. What pulls you toward horror as a genre and a medium? Do you think horror can help tell stories that other genres cannot openly tackle?

Ikumi Nakamura: Since I was little, I’ve enjoyed horror movies - a lot of this was influenced by my family. At the age of two, I was already watching horror movies and reading Junji Ito’s mangas . This is what helped me get into horror across all types of media, including games.

I think horror has the unique capability of talking about the human experience in a way that other genres can’t quite do. Horror tackles several parts of the human personality and is the only one that can adequately discuss the ugly parts. Horror, as a medium and a genre, does a fantastic way of portraying this.