By Tiberius Jonez
Team Ninja head and the creator of acclaimed fighting series Dead or Alive, Tomonobu Itagaki has announced his resignation from Tecmo as well as his intent to sue the company. The news comes just as his latest game, Ninja Gaiden 2 is about to be released to U.S. retailers.
In addition to resigning his position at the company – where he had a seat on the board of directors – Itagaki has announced his intention to sue Tecmo president Yoshimi Yasuda for 148 million yen (US$1.5m) in damages. Among the grievances listed in the statement are Yasuda's unwillingness to pay him bonuses promised for work on titles including Dead or Alive 4, and allegations that Yasuda "made demeaning remarks" about him to other Tecmo employees, which resulted in "significant emotional distress" and "worsening [of his] personal relationships and work environment."
Itagaki gained some notoriety as the graphics programmer on Tecmo Super Bowl for the SNES in 1993. He later gained fame as the creator of Dead or Alive, the critically acclaimed fighting series which was eventually secured as an exclusive by Microsoft for the release of Dead or Alive 3 on the original Xbox. Dead or Alive 4 was also a Microsoft exclusive for the Xbox 360.
In his statement, Itagaki confirmed that he will have no involvement in future Dead or Alive or Ninja Gaiden games. This news has to be concerning for both gamers and Tecmo as it is unknown what affect his departure will have on either franchise.
Team Ninja head and the creator of acclaimed fighting series Dead or Alive, Tomonobu Itagaki has announced his resignation from Tecmo as well as his intent to sue the company. The news comes just as his latest game, Ninja Gaiden 2 is about to be released to U.S. retailers.
In addition to resigning his position at the company – where he had a seat on the board of directors – Itagaki has announced his intention to sue Tecmo president Yoshimi Yasuda for 148 million yen (US$1.5m) in damages. Among the grievances listed in the statement are Yasuda's unwillingness to pay him bonuses promised for work on titles including Dead or Alive 4, and allegations that Yasuda "made demeaning remarks" about him to other Tecmo employees, which resulted in "significant emotional distress" and "worsening [of his] personal relationships and work environment."
Itagaki gained some notoriety as the graphics programmer on Tecmo Super Bowl for the SNES in 1993. He later gained fame as the creator of Dead or Alive, the critically acclaimed fighting series which was eventually secured as an exclusive by Microsoft for the release of Dead or Alive 3 on the original Xbox. Dead or Alive 4 was also a Microsoft exclusive for the Xbox 360.
In his statement, Itagaki confirmed that he will have no involvement in future Dead or Alive or Ninja Gaiden games. This news has to be concerning for both gamers and Tecmo as it is unknown what affect his departure will have on either franchise.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for commenting. Hearing reader thoughts and opinions is what keeps us going! GameJonez values your right to privacy and we want everyone to have a pleasant experience whenever they visit GameJonez. To ensure that you are not subjected to spam ads, personal attacks or profanity, every comment is personally moderated by Tiberius Jonez prior to publication. This process usually only takes a few minutes, but can sometimes take as long as 24 hours. Thanks in advance for your patience and understanding, and as always...Thanks for visiting GameJonez. Game on!!
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.