ArtPlay announced the passing of Bloodstained creative director Shutaro Ida on February 10 at the age of 52, following a one-and-a-half-year battle with pancreatic cancer. Prior to his work at the company, Ida was well-known as a programmer and designer at Konami, where he worked on several Castlevania titles.
Having worked with him since Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, ArtPlay co-founder and president Koji Igarashi said that Ida’s contributions to the gaming industry cannot be understated. While the two had fewer opportunities to work together after Igarashi left Castlevania (and Konami), Igarashi is forever grateful that Ida accepted his invitation to join ArtPlay “without hesitation”.
Post translation:
In the early hours of Tuesday, February 10, 2026, our Creative Director, Shutaro, passed away peacefully after battling cancer for approximately one and a half years. Our first project together was Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow. It is no exaggeration to say that numerous titles hailed as masterpieces would not have been possible without his contributions. His talent was truly exceptional.
After I left the Castlevania series, opportunities to work together became fewer, but I am profoundly grateful that he accepted my invitation to join the current company without hesitation. I feel the success of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night was also made possible by his tremendous support. Looking back, he supported me for over twenty years. He was someone who constantly thought about games, approaching development as if it were burning his life away.
When it was discovered that he had a terminal cancer in September 2024, it came as a tremendous shock. The subsequent year and a half of battling the illness must have been unimaginably harsh. His passing is profoundly regrettable, yet knowing he is now free from suffering brings a sense of relief. Having run at full speed all this time, I hope he can now rest peacefully.
The game he was working on, Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement, is currently in development. It is a precious work imbued with his vision. We shall carry forward his aspirations and see the game through to completion, determined not to disappoint him. We ask for your continued support and encouragement, now more than ever.
Our thoughts are with his bereaved family, and we offer our deepest condolences.
Ida worked at Konami from 1996 to 2015 primarily as a programmer. Aside from Castlevania, he also lent his talents to titles such as Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Shadow of Memories, and Sexy Parodius. After leaving Konami, Ida would work with 505 Games, Armature Studio, and Inti Creates, before eventually accepting Igarashi’s invitation to work at ArtPlay.
Known by many nicknames such as “Curry the Kid,” “Curry Hermit,” and “Curry Gentleman Shutaro,” Ida first revealed his diagnosis on X (formerly Twitter) back in October 2024. After letting Bloodstained fans know that he had already submitted his plans for Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement (including ideas for the prequel’s story and game design), he asked that they carry on the franchise’s legacy and announced that he would be stepping away from the project to focus on treating his illness.
Following his diagnosis, Ida would like and repost several Castlevania and Bloodstained fan art on X. His final post, dated January 30, confirmed that he was growing weaker with each passing day. As a final wish, he asked fans to cherish the upcoming Bloodstained titles, as well as all of the games he helped create.
