Ninja Gaiden Legendary Tomonobu Itagaki Passed Away
The death of Tomonobu Itagaki, a Japanese developer who left his mark on gaming history, was announced with a farewell message shared on his personal Facebook page. The 58-year-old legend wrote, “My life was filled with battles, and we always won. I have no regrets. My only regret is not being able to present our new game to my fans.” The message was reportedly shared by a close friend at Itagaki’s request.
Tomonobu Itagaki Made Gaming History with Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive
Itagaki began working at Tecmo in 1992, and his first project was Tecmo Super Bowl. However, his real breakthrough came in 1996 with the Dead or Alive series, which he created. The series quickly gained immense popularity among fighting games, attracting attention with both its gameplay dynamics and its visuals that challenged the times. In the early 2000s, Itagaki began running Tecmo’s internal studio, Team Ninja, and revived the legendary Ninja Gaiden series.
With its dark atmosphere, high difficulty, and technical combat systems, Ninja Gaiden became one of the most notable Japanese games of the Xbox era. However, Itagaki left the company before the release of Ninja Gaiden 2. He cited unpaid bonuses from Tecmo as the reason for his departure and parted ways with the company entirely. Later, he developed an action-adventure game called Devil’s Third, but it failed to make the expected impact.
In the final years of his career, Itagaki established his own studio and turned his attention to independent projects. He was working on an undisclosed game before his death. Known for his signature sunglasses-themed style and rebellious demeanor, the producer had inspired numerous developers.
Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon and Tekken series producer Katsuhiro Harada shared condolences on social media following Itagaki’s passing. Harada expressed his feelings by saying, “You’re kidding, Itagaki-san. We were going for a drink next time.” The gaming world is once again saying goodbye to a great legend.
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