John Johanas, creative director Tango Gameworks (The Evil Within, Hi-Fi Rush).

My guest today is John Johanas, creative director at the Tokyo-based studio Tango Gameworks . Born on Long Island, New York, he played in a Radiohead covers band while in High School. After graduating with a degree in East Asia studies from Brandeis University , he moved to Japan to work as an English teacher. He started translating Japanese books into English in his spare time. A keen player of video games, in 2010 my guest applied to work at Tango Gameworks, the studio founded by the legendary horror director Shinji Mikami . He joined, and there worked first as a translator, then as a designer on The Evil Within , before assuming the role of director on the game’s two DLC episodes and full sequel. In 2023 he directed the studio’s innovative music-combat game Hi-Fi Rush , which has just launched for PlayStation 5. [Photograph Game Informer/ Alex Van Aken]. Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsole Take the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.