Itagaki Is A Ninja No More

Regardless of which console you own, you can’t ignore the latest drama from Video Game Land: Famous developer Tomonobu Itagaki is leaving Team Ninja and suing Tecmo as a self-endowed going away present.

Itagaki’s woes mostly revolve around unpaid completion bonuses. In fact, according to his official statement to Japanese media outlets, he called Tecmo’s bluff:

“”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, telling me ‘if you are dissatisfied with the decision not to pay the bonuses, either quit the company or sue it.’”

Needless to say, this means that Ninja Gaiden 2 will be Itagaki’s last Ninja Gaiden, and Dead or Alive 5 is spinning into development hell as we speak, if it’s not entirely vapourware.

This also means Aerosmith content in fighting games will drop at least 70%.

Yeah, Guitar Hero Aerosmith will fill the void, but it just won’t be the same.

(Image courtesy of 1UP.com)