 | |
Native name | 株式会社クローバースタジオ |
|---|---|
Romanized name | Kabushiki Gaisha Kurōbā Sutajio |
| Formerly | Studio 9 |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 1 July 2004 (21 years ago) (2004-07-01) |
| Defunct | March 2007 (18 years ago) (2007-03) |
| Fate | Dissolved |
| Successor | Clovers |
| Headquarters | Osaka, Japan |
Key people |
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| Products | |
| Parent | Capcom |
| Website | cloverstudio.co.jp |
Clover Studio Co., Ltd. (Japanese:株式会社クローバースタジオ,Hepburn:Kabushiki Gaisha Kurōbā Sutajio) was a Japanesevideo game developer founded byCapcom. The studio developed thePlayStation 2 port ofViewtiful Joe, both versions ofViewtiful Joe 2 for theGameCube and PlayStation 2, and the PS2 titlesŌkami andGod Hand. The name "clover" is an abbreviation of "creativitylover"[1] as well as the Japanese syllablesmi ("three") andba ("leaf") coming from the names ofShinjiMikami and Clover'sAtsushi Inaba.[2]
The studio consisted largely of existing Capcom R&D talent, who had formed the company (then called Studio 9) to give themselves greater executive control (and thus creative freedom), likeSega's semi-autonomous studios in the early 2000s. The studio focused largely on creating newintellectual property rather than sequels. When these failed to perform on par with Capcom's more popular series, Capcom attempted to merge the studio back into their internal R&D. Those at the studio chose instead to leave the company, and Clover was dissolved.
Some of the key members of Clover founded Seeds Inc., a new development group[3] that merged with ODD Incorporated in October 2007 to formPlatinumGames,[4][better source needed] which has since built up a staff composed of former Clover staff. Other members (including the art director ofŌkami) went to joinUTV Ignition Games at their Tokyo development studio, which developed the gameEl Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron. On 28 October 2010, one of the most prominent members of Clover Studio and then PlatinumGames,Shinji Mikami, joinedZeniMax Media in a deal where ZeniMax acquired his new development studioTango Gameworks.[5]
It was announced duringThe Game Awards 2024 that Kamiya had founded a new independent studio named Clovers to develop a sequel toŌkami, with its name being a reference to Clover Studio.[6]
To facilitateViewtiful Joe 2's development, Capcom turned "Team Viewtiful" into Clover Studio, a semi-autonomous production company with a focus on developing newintellectual properties (IPs).[7] The separation was also in part due toResident Evil 4's PlayStation 2 release, which caused significant tensions between Capcom and Mikami, who had touted the game's console exclusivity.[8][9] Clover Studio was able to produce two more games in theViewtiful Joe series, which serve as side-stories, and commissioned ananime adaptation which was handled byGroup TAC. Clover's next big project wasŌkami, a "brand-focused project" fitting with Capcom's goal for Clover to develop new IPs.[10] Although it was a critical success, it failed to live up to Capcom's sales expectations; Clover's next projectGod Hand did even worse.[11] Compounding this problem, Clover's developers still felt stifled under the weight of Capcom's corporate management, who were reluctant or actively opposed to risky new ideas.[7][12]
Capcom shut down Clover Studio in late 2006, after Atsushi Inaba,Hideki Kamiya andShinji Mikami left the company.[13]
These resignations were part of a series of high-profile departures from Capcom, includingYoshiki Okamoto in 2003 andKeiji Inafune in 2010.[14] Inafune complained of similar problems, as Inaba, Kamiya and Mikami, namely that Capcom management had a rule dictating that at least 70-80 percent of all new projects must be sequels of existing properties, with the actual number very close to 100 percent at any time.[15]
They would go on to foundPlatinumGames with members of their old studio.[12] In 2008, they announced the "Platinum Three", referring toMadWorld,Infinite Space, andBayonetta, which would attempt to carry on theCapcom Five's ambitious and creative original spirit.[16]
In 2009, Capcom producer and Senior Corporate Officer of R&DKeiji Inafune, told1UP.com that the company had no interest at the time to produce sequels to Clover titles.[17]
In 2010, Capcom released a sequel toŌkami titled,Ōkamiden for theNintendo DS.[18]
Characters fromViewtiful Joe andŌkami have appeared in other Capcom media.Viewtiful Joe and Yami, antagonist ofŌkami, appear in the 2008fighting gameTatsunoko vs. Capcom.[19][20] Viewtiful Joe andAmaterasu, the protagonist ofŌkami, both appear as playable characters in the 2011 fighting gameMarvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds andUltimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.[21][22]
Ahigh-definition port ofŌkami, remastered by Capcom andHexaDrive, was released on thePlayStation 3 via the PlayStation Network in October 2012 and for retail in Japan in November 2012.[23][24][25] The high-definition port was also released forMicrosoft Windows,PlayStation 4 andXbox One in December 2017 worldwide, with aNintendo Switch version released in August 2018.[23][25][24]
| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Viewtiful Joe | GameCube,PlayStation 2 | Capcom |
| 2004 | Viewtiful Joe 2 | ||
| 2005 | Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble | GameCube,PlayStation Portable | |
| Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble! | Nintendo DS | ||
| 2006 | Ōkami | PlayStation 2 | |
| God Hand |
| Games |
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Ōkami | |
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