Hidetoshi Ishizawa, better known by the handle Neo_G, has announced his departure from Capcom for a position at competitor SNK Playmore. The name may not be as familiar to newcomers, but Ishizawa’s lengthy resume includes work on beloved titles like Street Fighter Alpha 2, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, and Capcom vs. SNK 2.
This news has been confirmed by Arika vice president Ichiro Mihara, dispelling a common theory that it was perhaps a poor April Fools’ Day joke.
Due to Ishizawa’s prominent position at Capcom, this could be seen as something of a bad omen for the company and fans of their releases, especially when combined with what appears to be a lack of fighting game planning beyond Street Fighter V. SNK Playmore, on the other hand, is deep in development on King of Fighters XIV, with Samurai Shodown and possibly even a Garou: Mark of the Wolves sequel on the horizon, and one could attribute Ishizawa’s move as a way to continue his work in the genre.
According to a recent Facebook update, Ishizawa resigned from Capcom back in January, and it’s possible he’s already had a hand in King of Fighters XIV development. We’ll have more details on this news as they become available.