Aside from the lack of an announcement for a new Elder Scrolls game, Bethesda’s E3 press conference was generally well received, with its new project announcements and features coming to their games across various platforms. Fans of The Evil Within responded excitedly when Bethesda announced that a sequel was officially in the works, and is apparently far along enough in development for Bethesda to plan on releasing The Evil Within 2 on the apt October date of Friday the 13th later this year. However, this sequel will have a bit of a caveat, as it appears that Shinji Mikami will not return to direct The Evil Within 2.

Sources are reporting that Shinji Mikami, best known as the director of the original Resident Evil and The Evil Within, has not returned to direct the much anticipated sequel. It is being reported that Mikami will only serve as a producer on this game, and the director position has now gone to John Johanas, who worked as the visual effects designer on the original Evil Within and directed The Assignment and The Consequence DLC packs. There is no official word yet from Mikami or Bethesda on why he is not returning to direct The Evil Within 2, though some are speculating he could be working on a different Bethesda project. He could also be taking a break from the heavy schedule that comes with games of this magnitude.

While fans can expect Johanas to direct this new title well given his experience with the franchise, surely some will be understandably sad to see such an important figure in survival horror video game history gone from the director’s chair. What do you guys think? Are you sad to hear that Shinji Mikami will not direct The Evil Within 2? Let us know in the comments below! As always, be sure to stay tuned for the latest The Evil Within news, such as the announcement trailer for The Evil Within 2, here on Don’t Feed the Gamers! Follow us on Twitter to see our updates the minute they go live!