[Author’s Edit: Kamiya has now reactivated his account, confirming he was the one to deactivate it. What follows is the original story from last night. Some language has also been changed for clarification.]
Platinum Games founding member and professional tweeter Hideki Kamiya has had his Twitter account deactivated. It isn’t known at this point whether Kamiya deactivated himself or Twitter removed the account. The latter option wouldn’t be too surprising, after Twitter temporarily restricted his account yesterday over a mass blocking spree.
The deactivation comes amid allegations by former Bayonetta voice actor Hellena Taylor that Platinum Games only offered her $4000 for the role in Bayonetta 3. Taylor was beloved by fans for her portrayal of the titular character, but refused the job after the final $4000 flat rate offer. She went on to ask that fans boycott the latest entry in the series. In a series of video tweets, Taylor specifically calls out Kamiya for his role in the situation. Kamiya put out a response “BEWARE OF MY RULES” warning his critics speaking English will be blocked. You can read an expanded explanation of the situation in our coverage here.
After his now infamous tweet, Kamiya began to block the majority of critics in the replies to his tweets. Replies were then turned off by Kamiya, but he continued to block those quote tweeting him. This mass blocking flagged his account as suspicious to Twitter, which resulted in temporary restriction of his account. This was then restored, but his profile is now fully gone from the site. Trying to visit his profile page only offers a “this account doesn’t exist” message, typical of deactivated accounts.
It’s worth remembering that a deactivated Twitter account can easily be restored. Kamiya may have fled Twitter whilst the controversy is hot, and could return closer to or after the release of Bayonetta 3 on Oct. 28.
Are you one of the many that were blocked Hideki Kamiya? Let us know in the comments below, and keep your eyes on GameLuster for more gaming news.
