Last week saw rumors of The Last Guardian‘s creator, Fumito Ueda, quitting Sony and working on the highly-anticipated title in a freelance position. Today, official word has been released that the game’s executive producer, Yoshifusa Hayama, has left Sony as well for UK social game developer Bossa Studios as its creative director.
According to Hayama’s profile on LinkedIn, he acted as a VP at Sony Computer Entertainment since 2007 and has been credited for several PlayStation 3, PSP, and Vita projects including LocoRoco 2, The Eye of Judgment, and more. His employers prior to Sony include Sega’s AM2 division, Square Enix, EA, and Sumo Digital.
“The future of gaming is definitely online and thanks to recent developments with Flash 11, there is no reason why a social game can no longer be as visually stunning and as compelling as the big console titles,” said Hayama about his move to Bossa. “Together at Bossa we have plans to bring a plethora of games to Facebook and eventually other appropriate social media channels, which include 3D elements and can be enjoyed by all age and interest groups.”
It is unsure as to whether Hayama’s decision will affect the development of The Last Guardian or if his departure combined with Ueda’s rumored position with the game indicate problems within Sony.
[Joystiq]
