Strong arm tactics

On a press tour of Asia earlier this year, Yoshinori Ono was admitted to hospital and stepped down from his role as Street Fighter producer following the health scare. While you might have expected Ono's hectic work schedule to slow down after the incident, a new interview with Eurogamer.net reveals that's not the case.

Ono revealed that after returning to work, Capcom didn't acknowledge that he'd been in hospital; he came back to a full work schedule and an airline ticket to Rome. Ono says:

There's no mercy. Everyone in the company says: 'Ono-san we've been so worried about you.' Then they hand me a timetable and it's completely filled with things to do.

Ono is unable to change his situation alone, but has sent out a clear message with this interview:

Capcom doesn't allow a trade union or any sort of worker movement you see. So if I complain I will probably get sacked. You have to say it for me, OK? I want you to write: 'Capcom overworks Ono'. That's your headline.

As one of gaming's bona fide characters, Ono's undoubtedly valuable to Capcom, and his work in revitalising the fighting genre should not be overlooked. Sounds to us like he could use a good holiday, though.

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