At the same time as the good news of Atlus unveiling the release date of the new RPG "Metaphor Fantasy", there is another piece of bad news leaking out. As Atlus's signature character designer and illustrator, Kazuma Kaneko has left in 2023 to join COLOPL, the developer of "Project White Cat", to develop an original IP.
According to the interview, Kaneko is in charge of a new project conceived by COLOPL after joining COLOPL, but the details have not been disclosed. However, as the developer of "White Cat Project", the main business involves mobile games and VR manufacturers, and Kaneko Yima's new work may also be a mobile game.
As the character designer who created Atlus' signature mascot, Jack Frost, Kaneko has been involved in the design of the series since the original generation of Megami Tensei and has set the tone for the Shin Megami Tensei series through the Demon Books. Among the various works derived from "Shin Megami Reincarnation", there is also an indispensable character of the middle demon drawn by Kaneko Kazuma. In addition to the Jack brothers including Jack Frost Essence, there are a certain Moro who has a very manifest image, a little goblin Pixi, a human Shura, and so on. At the same time, as a "demon artist", Kaneko Kazuma also designed the demon humanization of "Devil May Cry 3". Although Kaneko's departure is regrettable to Atlus players, it is true that Kaneko Kazuma has not often written in person since Shin Megami Tensei 3. Since "Shin Megami Tensei 4", Masayuki Doi has become a series character design. Now the "Shin Megami Tensei" and "Persona" series are still advancing, and Kaneko Kazuma-sensei may also continue to realize his "mythical" ideals.