It’s been quite an exciting year for Ikumi Nakamura. After serving as the lead art designer for The Evil Within and The Evil Within 2, Nakamura departed Tango Gameworks midway through the development process of her brainchild, Ghostwire: Tokyo. (Rumors indicate that veteran director Shinji Mikami now helms the project). However, despite her separation from Tango, Nakamura’s got plenty of ideas regarding where she wants to go next.
In an interview with IGN Japan, Ikumi Nakamura stated that she has many ideas for an Okami sequel and that she plans to pitch it to developer Capcom as soon as the current COVID-19 quarantine concludes. Although she cites herself as the source of the idea, Nakamura would not want to direct the project, instead of hoping to work alongside Hideki Kamiya (Resident Evil 2, Bayonetta) who also directed the original Okami.
Okami, first released in 2006 for the PlayStation 2, tells the story of Amaterasu, a white wolf with the powers of an ancient Japanese goddess. Wielding the power of creativity in the form of her Heavenly Brush, the adorable “Ammy” defeats monsters, feeds animals, blooms flowers, and ultimately restores light and color to a world shrouded in darkness. The title’s popularity has endured, seeing releases for the Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch (the latter occurring as recently as 2018).
Although the game did receive a technical sequel in the form of 2010’s Okamiden, released for the Nintendo DS, fans are eager to see more of Amaterasu’s story and return to the stunningly beautiful world of brush-painted Nippon. In her interview, Nakamura encouraged fans to create a petition to show Capcom that demand exists for a new Okami title.
It is unknown how successful Nakamura’s pitch will be, but her determination and dedication to the series are awe-inspiring. Hopefully, there will be more to report on in the future as she begins her conversations with both Hideki Kamiya and Capcom.
