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Japanese video crippled developer Tomonobu Itagaki has died aged 58.
Itagaki, champion known for creating the Dead oregon Alive bid and for reviving the Ninja Gaiden franchise successful 2004, issued a station connected Facebook hours earlier his decease was confirmed.
Last WordsThe airy of my beingness is yet fading.The information that this connection has been posted means that the clip has yet come. I americium nary longer successful this world.(I americium entrusting this last station to idiosyncratic important to me.)My beingness has been a bid of battles. I kept winning.I person caused a batch of trouble, too.I americium arrogant to accidental that I followed my beliefs and fought to the end.I person nary regrets.However, I americium filled with regret that I was incapable to present a caller enactment to each my fans. I americium sorry.That's however it is.So it goes.Itagaki TomonobuJames Mielke, co-founder of Tigertron and BitSummit, took to societal media to say: “RIP, senpai. You volition ever beryllium a ninja.”
“Today I mislaid idiosyncratic who was genuinely similar a member to me,” Mielke said. “I americium gutted to the core. I conjecture I tin accidental truthful present that it's connected his Facebook page. He adjacent listed himself arsenic my existent member connected Facebook. Anyone who knows maine knows however adjacent we were. RIP, senpai. You volition ever beryllium a ninja.”
Tekken main Katsuhiro Harada posted connected X / Twitter to explicit his disbelief astatine the news.
No way, Itagaki-san
you said, “Let’s drawback a portion sometime,” didn’t you?
I don’t judge it. I don’t.
saw Tomonobu Itagaki has passed away— a uncommon breed of ronin auteur developer; uncompromising, chaotic, unforgettable
I grew up inspired by his enactment and had a fewer chances to brushwood him successful the E3 halls… May his power pain successful each creator who inactive believes successful going each successful pic.twitter.com/rl26OwyKOL
RIP Tomonobu Itagaki, the legendary creator of Ninja Gaiden and Dead oregon Alive. Here's a video from 17 years agone wherever I interviewed him astir Ninja Gaiden II for Xbox 360. pic.twitter.com/Wqgzo6cFad
— Danny Peña (@godfree) October 16, 2025Born successful 1967, Itagaki joined Tecmo successful 1992, primitively to grip the graphics for Tecmo Super Bowl. Itagaki's brash quality wasn't afloat seen until helium started connected his ain Dead oregon Alive bid successful 1998, which featured pistillate characters with strategically-placed "bounce" physics and much than a passing resemblance to SEGA's Virtua Fighter, a bid helium has mentioned being a instrumentality of.
When Dead oregon Alive 2 arrived for the Dreamcast, the graphical leap shone a airy connected Itagaki and Team Ninja, and the outspoken developer — who became good known for wearing shades astatine each times — ne'er shied distant from commenting connected manufacture trends. Itagaki's Ninja Gaiden launched arsenic an Xbox exclusive successful 2004, breathing caller beingness into the hardcore enactment crippled franchise. He went connected to merchandise Ninja Gaiden Black, considered by immoderate to beryllium 1 of the top enactment games of each time. Nintendo DS crippled Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword, and Xbox 360 exclusive Ninja Gaiden 2 followed.
Itagaki divided from Tecmo arsenic portion of a heated and precise nationalist breakup connected June 2, 2008. After resigning from his role, helium released a nationalist connection alleging unpaid completion bonuses, with a ailment filed successful the Tokyo District Court connected May 14, 2008.
He aboriginal founded Valhalla Game Studios with respective Team Ninja members and released Devil's Third. Itagaki stepped down from Valhalla successful 2017 and went connected to signifier Itagaki Games successful 2021. At the time, Itagaki said helium had spent the anterior 4 years teaching crippled improvement to a younger generation. However, helium felt that helium wanted to "make a crippled again and conscionable established a institution for that purpose."
Itagaki's decease comes conscionable days earlier the merchandise of Ninja Gaiden 4, an enactment sequel helium had nary engagement with.
Image credit: Tomonobu Itagaki / Facebook.
Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].
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