Street Fighter Veteran Yoshinori Ono Leaving Capcom After 30 Years For A New Job

After 30 years with Capcom, Street Fighter producer Yoshinori Ono announced in 2020 that he would be leaving the publisher. Now, he's announced on Twitter that he will join a new company, the mobile game studio Delightworks, as its president and COO effective May 1.

Ono's departure from Capcom is no surprise, as he originally announced back in August 2020 that he would leave the Japanese company. What's new today is Ono's announcement of where he's going and when. It's also notable because Ono has been the face of Street Fighter for a long time now.

"On May 1st, I will be moving from Capcom to another company. I'm going to be working at a studio that is a little different from the one I'm used to. I'm also going to be looking at development from a different perspective than in the past," he said on Twitter.

In another tweet, Ono said there "may be some distance" between himself and the fighting game community for "a while." But he is eager to get involved again when he can.

"I'm looking forward to spending time with you again when I get the chance. I appreciate your continuing support," he said.

Dr. Serkan Toto, a Japan-based analyst, commented that Delightworks is one of Japan's few remaining large-scale mobile studios that continues to be privately owned. Toto guessed that Delightworks might be planning an IPO, which might have motivated Ono to join.

Ono contributed to several other projects outside of Street Fighter over his years at Capcom, including Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite and Devil May Cry.