In a surprising announcement today, representatives close to Tomonobu Itagaki, developer of such titles as Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive, have stated that the iconic developer is leaving Tecmo and Team Ninja studios. He was the head of Team Ninja and well renowned developer for Tecmo for many years.
The representative confirmed in a release that Itagaki has resigned and filed a complaint in the Tokyo District Court against Tecmo for unpaid completion bonuses and against the Tecmo president Yoshimi Yasuda for "such unlawful acts as unreasonable and disingenuous statements made towards me, claiming damages in total of 148 million yen" ($1.42 million USD).
In a statement, Itagaki said, "Before the start of development on Dead or Alive 4, Tecmo Co., Ltd. had agreed to pay a completion bonus to me for this Xbox 360 title, which I produced. However, when the time came for the actual payment, Tecmo Co., Ltd. went against its previous agreement and refused payment."
"President Yoshimi Yasuda chose not only to violate this agreement, but also turned defiant," he continued, "telling me 'if you are dissatisfied with the decision not to pay the bonuses, either quit the company or sue it.' In addition, he made demeaning remarks about me to my subordinates and colleagues, causing me significant emotional distress and worsening my personal relationships and work environment."
In recent press releases, Itagaki had continually stated that Ninja Gaiden II would be the last game in the series he would work on. At the same time, he began hinting at beginning work on a new action title completely unrelated to the Ninja Gaiden universe.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
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