Legendary game designer Shinji Mikami is working on a new “pure survival horror” title, it has been revealed. 

Horror genius Mikami – who masterminded the original Resident Evil and the best of the iconic series that followed – is directing the project at his new company Tango Gameworks.

Currently codenamed ‘Zwei’, it will be his first bona fide survival-horror since 2002′s Resident Evil Zero, with Mikami promising an experience that “pushes the limits of fear and exhilaration”.

“A true survival-horror game is one in which the player confronts and overcomes fear,” he says. “I’ve found my focus and once again I’m striving for pure survival horror. I am being very hands-on in the development of this game to ensure that the quality is there. Rest assured.”

Mikami directed or produced the first three Resident Evil games, the first two Dino Crisis titles and the acclaimed Resident Evil REmake before reinventing the franchise completely with the more action-orientated Resident Evil 4. He was also the brains behind seminal hack-and-slasher Devil May Cry and last year’s barmy Shadows Of The Damned (in partnership with Suda 51).

No release formats or dates for ‘Zwei’ have yet been confirmed, but it will be published by Bethesda and is expected to be out for next-gen consoles in 2013 at the earliest.