PlayStation Vita fans are likely to remember Gravity Rush as one of the most popular exclusive games the console had to offer. PlayStation 4 fans who decided to pick it up might also remember Gravity Rush from its eventual port and its successor, Gravity Rush 2, which found its home on the PlayStation 4 exclusively. Now, character designer for Gravity Rush, Shunsuke Saito, has announced their departure from Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Gravity Rush first came out on the PS Vita in 2012. One of the key features of the game was the ability to control in-world gravity via the PS Vita’s gyroscope. Another key feature of the game, however, was gorgeous art and interesting character designs. At the center of this was Kat, the game’s heroine, who was so universally beloved that Sony put her in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. Shunsuke Saito was the mastermind behind Kat’s design, as well as the design for several other main characters.
In a Twitter announcement made on March 31, Shunsuke Saito announced that he would be leaving Sony Interactive Entertainment, the publisher behind Gravity Rush, as of today. The official reason for this departure is unknown. Also unknown is what projects Saito will be pursuing next, and at what company. Also leaving Sony Interactive Entertainment, is Bloodborne’s producer, Kentaro Motomura, who is retiring.
While there was no reason announced for these departures, rumors suggest it is part of Sony’s game plan going forward. At the end of February news spread of Sony’s decision to downsize Japan Studio, the studio Saito and Motomura worked under. It is likely that this downsizing was the reason for Saito’s leaving the studio. Sony’s Japan Studio was the developer behind several of Sony’s most critically-acclaimed IPs, including the likes of Gravity Rush, Bloodborne, Freedom Wars, Soul Sacrifice, and many others.
Fans will surely be sad to see that Saito is leaving, but hopefully Saito’s talent will have him well situated in another studio making games sooner rather than later. Some might be happy to see Saito move on to newer things. Development at Sony’s Japan Studio has appeared stunted for a while now, with releases trickling out much slower than in the past. As of late Sony has seemed to shift its focus to its western audience, outside of the development projects within its Japan Studio. It will be interesting to what work Saito pursues in the future.
Gravity Rush is available now on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita.
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