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Resi creator Shinji Mikami sheds light on Bethesda/ZeniMax game

Won't be out before 2013.

Shinji Mikami's new game won't be released until, at the earliest, 2013.

Mikami's studio Tango Gameworks was bought by ZeniMax/Bethesda in late 2010. He, Mikami - the creator of Resident Evil and many of Capcom's greatest games - announced the project in early 2010.

Does he work at Tango?

ZeniMax Asia general manager Toru Takahashi aired prospective date in an interview with 4Gamer, read by Andriasang. Shinji Mikami joined Takahashi for the interview, and offered a rare project update.

He said Tango Gameworks has 65 staff but wants more. No more than 100, however, as communication and responsibility suffer beyond that.

Mikami's new game will use a heavily modified external engine, although he wouldn't say what. Does "external" include ZeniMax-owned engines id Tech 5 and Skyrim's Creation Engine? Or is Mikami using Unreal Engine 3?

Mikami shared no game details.

Toru Takahashi, on the other hand, shared his hope that Mikami's new game will be Bethesda's most popular ever in Japan. Whereas Skyrim sold 200,000 to 300,000 copies there, Takahashi believes Mikami's game could shift 500,000 to 1 million.

Before creating Tango Gameworks, Shinji Mikami directed superb third-person shooter Vanquish at PlatinumGames, and co-created Shadows of the Damned with Suda51. Eurogamer's Vanquish review dished up 9/10.

Shinji Mikami has previously said his new game will be his last as director. He wants younger developers to take the reins after that.

But this being Mikami's swansong means he's to throw everything at it, and make sure he goes out with a bang. That's what he's promised, anyway.

Resident Evil 4 - Mikami directed that and created the series.