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| Tomonobu Itagaki |
The creator of the
Dead or Alive and
Ninja Gaiden series, Tomonobu Itagaki, has quit and sued publisher Tecmo over unpaid completion bonuses for
Dead or Alive 4. It's also been reported that Itagaki disowned the enhanced PS3 port,
Ninja Gaiden Sigma, even refusing to sign copies of it at public appearances since a colleague reputedly pushed the game through management without his consent or involvement. If his most recent statements are accurate, the head of Tecmo even goaded the game designer (who has long cultivated a rock star persona) by actually suggesting Itagaki quit and sue the company.
There are a few possible outcomes and interpretations, though these are pure conjecture:
- DOA and Ninja Gaiden are dead
- Tecmo will try to ressurrect these franchises without Itagaki and risk the wrath of the fans
- Itagaki will be coaxed back at significantly more pay and return to the popular franchises
- This is all an elaborate publicity stunt timed to the release of Ninja Gaiden II (which would be Itagaki's "swan song" if the "dispute" is not resolved)
We'll see what happens...
Comments (2)
I thought I read somewhere (Kotaku?) that Itagaki was being sued for sexual harrassment, and that his law suit was a "pre-emptive" strike. I don't know if this is true, and I'm not sure I trust Kotaku for that kind of information, but it seems this story may have more to it than meets the eye.
Posted by Greiver | June 9, 2008 12:37 PM
Posted on June 9, 2008 12:37
I read these articles on on 1up.com. Something is fishy here, hopefully the truth will come out. Personally, I am not a huge fan of his games. If I wanted to get beat down over and over I would play online. I don't think this will hurt his bottom line in anyway. But, this is giving PS3 fan boys dreams of him making some games for Sony's console.
http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3168056
http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=8756736&publicUserId=4549175
Posted by razorace1
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June 10, 2008 9:03 PM
Posted on June 10, 2008 21:03