We’ve learned that veteran Capcom designer Hidetoshi “Neo G” Ishizawa has left the company.
He’s already found a new home at rival fighting game developer SNK Playmore. Before you start expecting some kind of amazing development from his joining the studio, temper your hype a bit as we expect Ishizawa is probably helping the studio finish up The King of Fighters XIV.
If the name doesn’t ring a bell, you’ve sampled games Ishizawa has worked on from the likes of Street Fighter III: Third Strike, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Darkstalkers 3, and even both Capcom vs. SNK releases. He was at Capcom since 1995, so his departure after 20 years is a big deal.
Make no mistake, Ishizawa has worked on more fighting games than anything else at Capcom, so perhaps we’ll see him working on more things from SNK Playmore, the developer has talked up the possibility of doing a new Samurai Shodown, and maybe even a Garou: Mark of the Wolves sequel.
The King of Fighters XIV is set to launch sometime later this year on PlayStation 4, worldwide.