The volatile nature of the gaming industry means that most things do come to an end, and the SIE Japan Studio we once knew is essentially a thing of the past. Shuhei Yoshida previously commented that the decline of AA-level game interest was one of the primary reasons the studio was no longer seen as relevant. Many of the talented individuals who once worked there have since moved on, branching out in various directions. One of them is none other than Bloodborne producer Teruyuki Toriyama, who is now part of the newly formed Sirius Studio.
Throughout his career at SIE Japan, which lasted until 2020, Toriyama worked on several prominent Sony titles. His credits include Bloodborne, Demon’s Souls, and Astro Bot: Rescue Mission. Those contributions helped shape some of the most beloved PlayStation experiences of the last decade.
Now, Toriyama’s new venture has been revealed. Sirius Studio is operating under the umbrella of gz, a publisher and developer headquartered in Osaka, Japan. The newly formed studio will focus on developing titles for consoles, PCs, and even VR platforms. Importantly, Sirius Studio has its sights set on global releases, rather than solely targeting the Japanese market. The studio is open to working on new IPs and collaborating with external publishers on existing franchises.
In his statement, Toriyama acknowledged that it will take time for the studio to reach full production capacity. However, the ambition is clear: the team is aiming to deliver high-quality titles right from their debut project. As of now, Sirius Studio consists of around 20 staff members, many of whom bring experience from past AAA and AA titles.
This includes (h/t Gematsu):
- Executive vice president / executive producer Hideki Irie (SEGA Networks, SEGA, PlatinumGames)
- President Tomohiro Suzuki, president and representative director of gz
- Executive officer/producer Koh Okamura (Soul Covenant, DYSCHRONIA: Chronos Alternate, IA/VT Colorful, Soul Sacrifice Delta, Soul Sacrifice, The Last Story, Blue Dragon, Blinx 2: Battle of Time & Space, Choro Q HG 3, Choro Q HG 2, Godzilla Generations)
- Executive officer/producer Tsubasa Miyamoto (Soul Covenant, Altair Breaker, Resident Evil 7: biohazard (PS4), Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown, the Xbox and PC ports of Yakuza 1 to 6, Resident Evil 2 (PS4), Resident Evil Revelations 2 (PS4), Deep Down, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies.)
Unfortunately, there are no concrete details yet about their first game, including its genre or concept. For now, fans of Toriyama’s past work can only speculate on what kind of experience Sirius Studio will produce. However, with such a strong legacy behind its founder, the industry will no doubt be watching closely.
