Shinji Mikami, the mastermind behind Resident Evil , is stepping out of the survival horror shadows and into an entirely new arena as more details have finally surfaced regarding his new independent venture, Unbound Games.
Originally established back in 2023 following his departure from Tango Gameworks, the studio has been quietly operating under the radar. Now, thanks to recent job listings and website updates, the veil has been lifted on what the team is actually building, a massive Action RPG.
Powered by Unreal Engine 5, this unannounced AAA original IP is currently in development for the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Unbound currently sits at around 50 developers—including industry veterans who have worked on heavy hitters like Silent Hill, Devil May Cry, and Hi-Fi Rush—with plans to expand the team to roughly 150 people.
Producer Masato Kimura, a longtime Mikami collaborator, recently shed some light on the project’s scope and genre during a Japanese interview. Kimura confirmed that the studio is actively building a “large, super realistic action-RPG” aimed at a global release. However, Unbound is taking a very deliberate approach to development to avoid the bloated cycles of modern gaming. Kimura noted that they are aiming for “AAA quality and AA content.” This means players can expect a high-end, deeply immersive world and rich mechanics without the project requiring seven years and hundreds of millions of dollars to produce.
Mikami previously mentioned he wanted to direct at least one more game before retiring, and that he was eager to explore genres outside of horror. It looks like this highly anticipated Action RPG is exactly where he is making that pivot. Unbound also noted a desire to work on smaller-scale titles concurrently in the future, fostering a culture of rapid prototyping and experimentation.
We’ll be keeping a very close eye on Unbound as development progresses.
