Iron Man VR, Republique developer opens new studio in Japan

Developer Camouflaj has been in the video game business for more than a decade now, releasing titles like Marvel’s Iron Man VR and the stealth-filled Republique from its home in Bellevue, Washington. Now the company is going international, with a new studio venture in Japan.

As announced on Twitter, Camouflaj Holdings is based in Kamakura, Japan. Despite having a name that sounds a bit like a finance firm, this is indeed another studio focused on game development. Camouflaj founder Ryan Payton, whose work includes directing Halo 4 and producing Metal Gear Solid 4, will be co-head of the new studio. The other co-head is Matt Walker, who previously worked on Capcom franchises like Devil May Cry.

News of a second studio comes alongside the announcement of Republique: Anniversary Edition’s release date. Holdings co-head Matt Walker talked the re-release up on the PlayStation Blog, saying that the Anniversary Edition is a good “way to look back and honor where [Camouflaj] began.” As mentioned before, Camouflaj founder Ryan Payton worked as a producer on Metal Gear Solid 4, so the stealth gameplay of Republique was a natural next step and first project for a new studio.

The Anniversary Edition comes to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PSVR on March 10. It will be backward compatible on PlayStation 5 but note that setting up PSVR on the current console takes some special care.