In a move that’s certain to bring heartbreak to gamers everywhere, Capcom has decided to pull the plug on Clover Studios. This studio was founded as a subsidiary by Capcom in 2004 to develop new and original games with their most creative talent. Clover was responsible for some of the most beloved games of the past few years, including the [i]Viewtiful Joe[/i] series, [i]Okami[/i], and the recently released [i]God Hand[/i].

Capcom’s official reason for closing down Clover Studios, according to a news piece on [a]http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3994&Itemid=2[aa]Next Generation[/a], was to “centralize all the resources [of research and development] rather than running two companies.” Three of the most prominent developers of Clover Studios, [i]Resident Evil[/i] creator Shinji Mikami, [i]Okami[/i] producer Atsushi Inaba, and [i]Devil May Cry[/i] director Hideki Kamiya, had each earlier left the company. All the copyrights held by Clover Studios will revert back to Capcom control, and the company will be officially liquidated in March 2007.