Katamari Damacy Creator Announces New Company, Uvula

Following the recent confirmation that Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi left Namco Bandai, the eccentric game designer yesterday revealed his new company, Uvula. A collaboration with Takahashi's wife, the composer Asuka Sakai, Uvula claims to focus on "music and video games", while expressing a desire to "widen our horizons". The 'About Us' page says: "We are glad if we make something new with you". Takahashi, who is currently designing a children's playground in Nottingham, England, talked to Gamasutra last year about the possibility of going freelance and collaborating with Western development studios. "I’ve been feeling for a few years now that I’m just not suited to the games industry," he said."My ideal would be to be a freelancer, working with different creatives in a far more loose structure." Takahashi has never been afraid to speak out against the industry. In the same interview he said "I‘m frustrated with the industry as a whole... I just can’t perceive where the fun is in recent hit video games." "I see nothing in them that resonates with me and, their success leaves me feeling confused. The things I find interesting and enjoyable just aren’t reflected in the popular games of today and, I feel like there’s not much room for my voice because of that.”