View source for Shinji Mikami

[[File:Shinji_Mikami.jpg|right|frame|''He's Hiding Something, I can sense it''.]]

{{morefootnotes|date=March 2010}}
{{nihongo|'''Shinji Mikami'''|三上真司|Mikami Shinji|born August 11, 1965}} is a [[Japan]]ese [[game designer|video game designer]] best known for creating the [[survival horror]] series ''[[Resident Evil (series)|Resident Evil]]''. He also contributed to some of [[Capcom]]'s most popular post-[[History of video game consoles (fifth generation)|32-bit era]] franchises, including ''[[Viewtiful Joe]]'', ''[[Devil May Cry]]'', and ''[[Ace Attorney]]'', where he served as an executive producer.

==Career==
Mikami graduated from the Faculty of Commerce at [[Doshisha University]], where he majored in the study of merchandise.<ref name="comicint">{{cite journal |date=September 1998 |title=An Interview With Shinji Mikami |journal=Resident Evil: The Official Comic Book Magazine #3 |publisher=Image Comics, Inc.}}</ref> He joined Capcom in 1990<ref name="comicint" /> and, soon after, created his first title there, a quiz game for the [[Game Boy]] titled ''Capcom Quiz: Hatena? no Daibōken'', which took over three months to develop. His following three games were all based on [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]]-licensed properties: ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (video game)|Who Framed Roger Rabbit?]]'' for the Game Boy, and ''[[Aladdin (video game)|Aladdin]]'' and ''[[Goof Troop (video game)|Goof Troop]]'' for the [[Super Nintendo]].<ref name="comicint" /> Mikami also worked on an untitled [[Formula One|F1 racing]] game that was canceled by the company after eight months of development.

After the release of ''Goof Troop'', Mikami began development of a [[Horror (genre)|horror]]-themed [[adventure game]] for the [[PlayStation]] and [[Sega Saturn]] set in a haunted mansion, an idea loosely based on ''[[Sweet Home (video game)|Sweet Home]]'' (an earlier [[Nintendo Entertainment System|Famicom]] game by Capcom based on the Japanese [[horror film]] of the same name). The resulting game became ''Biohazard'', an action-adventure game which combined [[3D computer graphics|3D]] polygonal characters and objects with [[Pre-rendering|prerendered]] backgrounds and featured [[zombie]]s (among other monsters) heavily influenced by [[George A. Romero]]'s [[Living Dead#Romero's Dead series|''Dead'' films]]. The game was retitled ''[[Resident Evil]]'' during its English localization under Capcom USA's suggestion and was released in Japan and [[North America]] on 22 March 1996 and became one of the PlayStation's first successful titles. It was the first game to be dubbed a [[survival horror]], a term Capcom coined to promote the game.

After the success of ''Resident Evil'', Mikami was promoted from planner to producer, becoming more involved in the business side of the company. As producer, he oversaw the development of the  ''Resident Evil'' [[sequel]]s (''[[Resident Evil 2]]'' and ''[[Resident Evil 3: Nemesis]]'' and also directed another survival horror title, ''[[Dino Crisis (video game)|Dino Crisis]]'' in 1999.)

Shortly after the release of ''Resident Evil 3'' in Japan, [[Capcom Production Studio|Capcom Production Studio 4]] was established in 1999. The studio's staff were mainly the key developers in the company's survival horror projects. Mikami was appointed as the general manager of the studio, and worked as [[executive producer]] for various games, including the original ''[[Devil May Cry]]'' (originally conceived as a ''Resident Evil'' game).

In the year 2000, Mikami became involved as producer of a new ''Resident Evil'' game. ''[[Resident Evil Code: Veronica]]''. This game was designed from the ground up for the [[Dreamcast]]. Which is a much more powerful console than the PlayStation, the Dreamcast allowed the team behind the game to add for the first time, 3D environments instead of the usual pre-rendered backgrounds. ''Resident Evil Code: Veronica'' was released in the year 2000 and went on to sell 1,140,000 units. That same year, Mikami's ''[[Dino Crisis 2]]'' was released, selling 1,190,000 copies worldwide.

In 2001, a special edition of ''Biohazard Code: Veronica'' was developed for the Dreamcast and also for Sony's brand new game console, [[PlayStation 2]]. This edition of the game was created to fill some plot holes, although it added other ones in the process. Regardless, ''Biohazard Code: Veronica Complete Edition'', as the special edition was known in Japan, went on to outsell the original. In the States and elsewhere, it was known as ''[[Resident Evil Code: Veronica X]]''. The PS2 version went on to sell 1,400,000 units, according to Capcom's sales data for March 2006.

In 2001, in what was to be one of his most controversial business decisions, Mikami formed an exclusivity agreement with [[Nintendo]] in which the main ''Resident Evil'' games would be sold only for the [[Nintendo GameCube]]. The GameCube would receive, in addition to ports of previous PlayStation and Sega Dreamcast installments, three new games in the series; a [[video game remake|remake]] of the original ''Resident Evil'', ''[[Resident Evil Zero]]'' and ''[[Resident Evil 4]]'' (the deal did not include spinoff titles, such as the ''Gun Survivor'' and ''Outbreak'' games). ''Resident Evil'' and ''Resident Evil 0'' were both released in 2002. 

The remake of ''Resident Evil'', was released in Japan on the sixth anniversary of the release of the original, March 22, 2002. The remake was billed as the definitive version of the game, selling 490,000 copies in the US and 360,000 copies in Europe. In total, ''[[Resident Evil (video game)|Resident Evil]]'' managed to sell 1,250,000 units during its first year of release. The remake's sales data was made public by Capcom during its Financial Review Report for the year 2002.

On 12 November 2002, ''Resident Evil Zero'' was released. Gaming site gamefront.de reported that 138,855 copies of the game were sold on its first day of release. Capcom expected ''Resident Evil Zero'' to sell 1.42 million copies, but sold only 1.12 million. The fact that ''Resident Evil Zero'' did not match or surpass the remake's sales figures, spread fear among Capcom executives and share holders. They worried that ''Resident Evil 4'' would not sell well enough on GameCube.

In spite of ''Resident Evil Zero''{{'}}s underwhelming sales, Mikami remained confident in his support for Nintendo and announced four exclusive titles for the GameCube under development by Production Studio 4 in addition to ''Resident Evil 4''; ''[[P.N.03]]'', ''[[Viewtiful Joe]]'', ''[[killer7]]'' and ''[[Dead Phoenix]]''. This lineup became known as the Capcom 5.

The first of these games to be released was the Mikami-directed ''P.N. 03''. The game was both a commercial and critical failure, receiving lukewarm reviews from the press and selling below expectations. As a result, Mikami stepped down as manager of Production Studio 4, while remaining as one of the head producers within the team.

After his failure with ''P.N.03'', Mikami decided to concentrate instead on the creative aspects of the Capcom 5. He eventually took over directorial duties for ''Resident Evil 4'' from previous director, Hiroshi Shibata. Under his direction, ''Resident Evil 4'' went through some substantial changes.

''Resident Evil 4'' was released in 2005 and was one of the GameCube's top-selling titles, selling 1,250,000 units worldwide within a year. The game was critically praised, winning many game of the year awards. 

Shinji Mikami touted the game as a GameCube exclusive. In an interview with a Japanese magazine, Mikami even said that he would "commit [[harakiri]]" if it came out on another platform.<ref>Hyper CAPCOM Special, summer 2002</ref> This was loosely translated as Mikami claiming to "cut [his own] head off" and later parodied in ''[[God Hand]]'', which featured a racing dog named "Mikami's Head". Recently in an interview he gave apologies for ''Resident Evil 4'' going multiplatform. He felt quite bad, believing some people bought a GameCube just to play ''Resident Evil 4'' without knowing that it would finally be made available for PlayStation 2.{{Fact|date=May 2009}}

After the success of ''Resident Evil 4'', Mikami left Studio 4 and was transferred over to [[Clover Studio]] in 2004. Originally established in July 2004, Clover Studio employed an all-star lineup of Capcom development talent, including [[Atsushi Inaba]] (producer of ''[[Steel Battalion]]'' and ''Viewtiful Joe''), and [[Hideki Kamiya]] (''Devil May Cry'' director).

At Clover, Mikami supervised the development of ''[[God Hand]]'', a game in the [[beat 'em up]] genre that parodies American and Japanese pop culture. It was released in Japan on 14 September 2006, and on 10 October 2006 in North America. After the dissolution of Clover Studio in 2007, Mikami joined Seeds Inc, now known as [[Platinum Games]], the newly formed successor of his former studio. Platinum Games is composed of several of Mikami's former Capcom colleagues including Hideki Kamiya, Atsushi Inaba, Yuta Kimura, Nao Ueda, Mari Shimazaki, and [[Masami Ueda]]. Mikami is currently working on [[Vanquish (video game)|Vanquish]].

Mikami recently revealed that he formed a private development studio called Straight Story in 2006, shortly before the fall of [[Clover Studio]]. The name of the studio is taken from the 1999 [[David Lynch]] [[The Straight Story|film]]. Their works will be under the Platinum Games branding and he is a contract employee ("external board member") of Platinum Games. He is also collaborating with [[Grasshopper Manufacture]]'s [[Goichi Suda]] on [[Shadows of the Damned]] using the [[Unreal Engine#Unreal Engine 3|Unreal Engine 3]].<ref name="Unreal3">{{cite press release |date=2008-10-07 |title=Grasshopper Manufacture Licenses Unreal Engine 3 |url=http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/916/916867p1.html |publisher=Epic Games |accessdate=2009-04-02}}</ref> Mikami revealed that Straight Story will close once development of Vanquish is completed. Straight Story will be replaced with Mikami's new studio, Tango, which has already been established.<ref>[http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/17/shinji-mikami-opening-new-tokyo-based-studio-tango/ Shinji Mikami opening new Tokyo-based studio, Tango]</ref>

A teaser website opened on 18 March 2010 titled "Mikami Project" with a countdown attached. The website changed into a job employment page, for Mikami's new studio, "Tango".<ref name="Mikami Project">{{cite press release |date=2010-18-03 |title=Mikami Project |url=http://mikami-project.com/ |accessdate=2010-18-03}}</ref>

On October 28, 2010 ZeniMax Media Inc., parent company of noted game publisher Bethesda Softworks, announces Shinji Mikami, has joined ZeniMax in a deal where ZeniMax acquired Tango Gameworks.

==Works==
{{refimprovesect|date=December 2009}}
*''[[Shadows of the Damned]]'' (2011) - producer <ref name="Unreal3"/>
*''[[Vanquish (video game)|Vanquish]]'' (2010) - director
*''[[God Hand (video game)|God Hand]]'' (2006) - director
*''[[killer7]]'' (2005) - story, executive producer
*''[[Resident Evil 4]]'' (2005) - story, director<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.capcom.co.jp/bio4/english.html |title=resident evil4 |date=2005-01-18 |publisher=Capcom Co., Ltd. |accessdate=2009-12-12}}</ref>
*''[[Gyakuten Saiban 3]]'' (2004) - executive producer 
*''[[Dino Crisis 3]]'' (2003) - executive producer
*''[[Viewtiful Joe]]'' (2003) - executive producer
*''[[P.N. 03]]'' (2003) - director
*''[[Gyakuten Saiban 2]]'' (2002) - executive producer
*''[[Steel Battallion]]'' (2002) - general producer
*''[[Resident Evil 0]]'' (2002) - executive advisor
*''[[Resident Evil (video game)|Resident Evil (Remake)]]'' (2002) - director
*''[[Resident Evil: Gaiden]]'' (2001) - advisor <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/gbc/adventure/residentevilgaiden/tech_info.html |title=Resident Evil Gaiden Tech Info |publisher=Gamespot |accessdate=2009-12-12}}</ref>
*''[[Gyakuten Saiban]]'' (2001) - executive producer
*''[[Devil May Cry]]'' (2001) - executive producer
*''[[Onimusha|Onimusha: Warlords]]'' (2001) - advisor
*''[[Dino Crisis 2]]'' (2000) - executive producer
*''[[Resident Evil Code: Veronica]]'' (2000) - producer
*''[[Resident Evil 3: Nemesis]]'' (1999) - producer
*''[[Dino Crisis]]'' (1999) - producer, director
*''[[Resident Evil 2]]'' (1998) - game producer
*''[[Resident Evil (video game)|Resident Evil]]'' (1996) - director
*''[[Disney's Aladdin (game)|Aladdin]]'' (1993) - planner (SNES version)
*''[[Goof Troop (video game)|Goof Troop]]'' (1993) - game design
*''Super Lap'' (1992, cancelled) - planner <ref>http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=1&cId=3181373 1-UP.com's Shinji Mikami Profile Interview</ref>
*''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (video game)|Who Framed Roger Rabbit?]]''  (1991) - planner (Game Boy version)
*''Capcom Quiz: Hatena? no Daibōken'' (1990) - planner (Game Boy version)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,47337/ ''Shinji Mikami''] profile on [[MobyGames]]
*[http://www.platinumgames.co.jp/ "PlatinumGames"]

{{Suda 51}}

{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME              = Mikami, Shinji
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
| DATE OF BIRTH     = 1965
| PLACE OF BIRTH    =
| DATE OF DEATH     =
| PLACE OF DEATH    =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mikami, Shinji}}

[[Category:1965 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Japanese video game designers]]
[[Category:Resident Evil]]
[[Category:Capcom]]
[[Category:Video game producers]]
[[Category:Game designers]]
[[Category:People in the Game Industry]]
[[Category:People]]