A New Opportunity for Shinji Mikami and Suda51's Overlooked Collaboration

The past decade has seen a plethora of remastered titles, with numerous acclaimed games from previous generations being revamped for modern consoles. One unexpected entry on this list is Shadows of the Damned, a collaboration between renowned Japanese developers Shinji Mikami and Goichi 'Suda51' Suda. Initially released in 2011, Shadows of the Damned was a unique action-adventure game that combined punk rock elements with a Mexican demon hunter's quest to rescue his girlfriend. The game was published by Electronic Arts for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and it is now being re-released on consoles and PC thanks to NetEase, the parent company of Suda's studio, Grasshopper Manufacture. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz at Gamescom, Suda and Mikami revealed that this is not the first attempt to revive Shadows of the Damned. Approximately seven years ago, they received an offer to remaster the game, but Electronic Arts insisted that it be an Origin exclusive, which deterred them. However, with the Origin requirement no longer an issue, they decided to proceed with the remaster, aiming to make it available on all desired platforms. Suda is serving as the general producer for the remaster, while Mikami is contributing to promotional efforts. The majority of Grasshopper Manufacture is focused on developing a new IP, but Suda and Mikami are involved in the remaster as a way to make their back catalog more accessible on modern systems. Since 2016, the studio has collaborated with partners like Engine Software to re-release seven titles, including the No More Heroes trilogy, with another title, Lollipop Chainsaw, still in the works. Shadows of the Damned was not the first game that Suda and Mikami worked on together; their initial collaboration was the 2005 GameCube and PlayStation 2 title Killer7. Although Killer7 has maintained a cult following, Shadows of the Damned received less attention and struggled at launch. Suda attributes this to the presence of another game, Brutal Legend, which drew attention away from Shadows of the Damned, as well as Electronic Arts' decision to allocate its budget to Battlefield, resulting in insufficient promotion for Shadows of the Damned. The development of Shadows of the Damned was also marked by challenges, including a change in concept from the initial horror title Kurayami and requests from Electronic Arts to modify the game to cater to Western tastes. Despite these difficulties, Suda believes that the final product was a complete game, even if it differed from their original vision. Mikami and Suda have tempered their expectations for the remaster, acknowledging that the gaming landscape has changed significantly since the original release. Nevertheless, they are hopeful that the game will reach its target audience, particularly those who appreciate Suda's unique style. While fans may hope that this collaboration will lead to another joint project, both developers are uncertain about the possibility of working together again. They suggest that any future collaboration would require one of them to come up with an idea that the other finds appealing, with Suda likely to take on a directorial role and Mikami serving as a producer. Suda mentions an old idea, Zombie Rider, which never came to fruition due to concerns about its similarity to other games, including Ghost Rider and Dead Rising. Mikami recalls the idea and expresses interest in seeing Suda bring it to life, should he choose to pursue it.