Shutaro Iida, a Japanese game creator famous for his work on the Castlevania series and as director of the Bloodstained games, died on February 10, 2026, at the age of 52 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. His family announced the news a week after his passing, alongside Koji Igarashi, known as “IGA”.
Shutaro made a name for himself as a programmer at Konami. He started with the game Sexy Parodius in 1996 for PlayStation and Saturn, and later worked on the 2015 releases of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain.
Throughout the 2000s, he also contributed to several Castlevania games. Besides Lament of Innocence on the PlayStation 2 and Harmony of Despair on Xbox 360, he worked on Aria of Sorrow for the Game Boy Advance—which is part of the Castlevania Advance Collection—and the Nintendo DS games Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin, and Order of Ecclesia. These DS titles, along with Aria of Sorrow, are now available in the Castlevania Dominus Collection.
After leaving Konami, Shutaro joined IGA at ArtPlay and directed Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, a game funded by Kickstarter. Currently, ArtPlay is developing the sequel, Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement, which is planned for release in 2026. Messages from Shutaro and IGA at the end of 2025 suggested that Shutaro was dealing with health issues. His final tweet, posted on January 30th, revealed his condition was worsening. Following his passing, IGA announced that development of The Scarlet Engagement will continue as a tribute to Shutaro.
IGA has announced the news on both social media and the official ArtPlay website. You can find the English version of the announcement below.
Announcement of the passing of SHUTARO, Creative Director at ArtPlay
Our Creative Director, Shutaro, sadly passed away on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, at the age of 52, after a year and a half-long battle with cancer.
Shutaro was a major force in the gaming world, having created many popular games. His death is a great loss, and it’s especially sad considering how much more he had to offer.
We are deeply grateful for the support his fans showed him throughout his life, and it is with great sadness that we announce his passing.
The funeral was a private event, attended only by immediate family, as requested by those grieving.
Development on Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement, led by SHUTARO, is nearly finished. We are committed to honoring his memory by completing the game to the high standards he envisioned.
We are grateful for your kind thoughts, but respectfully request that you refrain from sending condolences, gifts, flowers, or visiting our company or the family at this time. We appreciate your understanding.
February 16, 2026
Koji Igarashi
Co-founder / ArtPlay Inc
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2026-02-16 12:26