Itsuno to lead new AAA action game at Lightspeed Japan under Tencent

Hideaki Itsuno is signalling a bold new direction for his next project, a AAA action game developed at Lightspeed Japan under the umbrella of Tencent. The project, still in its early stages, aims to fuse the designer's long history in action games with a fresh approach that emphasizes deep, varied combat and distinctive character design. Itsuno has described the goal as creating a title that brings together the best of everything he has made to date, with a clear emphasis on the character-driven identity that has long defined his work.

A key element of itsuno’s vision is to move away from established formulas. He has stated that the new game will not be a Soulslike, despite the current market’s heavy emphasis on that subgenre. Instead, he intends to deliver a Japanese style action game characterized by strong animation, creativity in design, a high skill ceiling and a broad range of actions. He has also underscored that while he respects the contributions of Soulslike titles, he is not aiming to imitate them. This stance reflects his desire to create something original within a crowded field.

Itsuno’s suggested blueprint draws from a combination of his notable works. He has...