Legendary game designer Tomonobu Itagaki has passed away at the age of 58. The Japanese developer had created the Dead or Alive series, and would play a vital role in rebooting Ninja Gaiden for the Xbox.
Tomonobu Itagaki, the legendary video game designer who helped pioneer the fighting and action-adventure genres, has passed away at the age of 58.
The late developer’s passing would be confirmed on his Facebook, with final words posted by a close and personal friend, to be shared after he had passed on.
The following post would be written in Japanese and has since been translated via machine learning:
My Last Words:
The flame of my life is finally about to be extinguished.
“The fact that this message has been posted means that the time has finally come. I am no longer of this world.
(I entrusted this final post to someone important to me.)
My life was a series of battles. I kept winning.
I caused a lot of trouble for others too.
I’m proud that I fought to the end, following my convictions.
I have no regrets.
Except I am extremely sorry that I could not give all my fans a new game.
That’s the way it is.
So it goes.
Tomonobu Itagaki”
Itagaki would begin his career in 1992, joining game developer Tecmo. There, he would create the Dead or Alive series and work on seven titles, including its beach volleyball spin-off. The Japanese developer would also play a key role in reviving Ninja Gaiden, spearheading 2004’s Xbox-exclusive reboot and subsequent games.
In 2008, Itagaki would leave Tecmo on bad terms, suing the company for damages in the Tokyo District court. The dispute would eventually be settled.
Following his departure, Itagaki would go on to find Valhalla Studios alongside other former members of Team Ninja. The studio would go on to release the action-adventure game Devil’s Third for the Wii U in 2015. The developer would have a few quiet years following the release, appearing again to form Itagaki Games in 2021; however, the studio would unfortunately not release any work.Since his passing, tributes have been pouring in throughout the day. Tekken series producer Katsuhiro Harada commented: “No way Itagaki-san- You said to me we’d go out for a drink next time”. Harada followed with a lengthy post on X in English, memorialising the developer, and his playful rivalry with Itagaki.
Tekken 8 director Kohei Ikeda also shared a statement giving respect to Itagaki, writing: Rest in peace Itagaki-san, the fighting game legend who shaped an era.”
Team Ninja Studios also shared a response on X in both English and Japanese: “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Team Ninja’s first leader, Tomonobu Itagaki. We will carry on the philosophy and creativity that Itagaki-san began and continue to create games that many gamers will enjoy.”
Both Super Robot Wars series producer Takanobu Terada and Dragon Quest producer Ryutaro Ichimura would share stories reminiscing about their conversations with the late fighting game developer over food. Terada would recount how Itagaki encouraged him, saying, “Please keep on enthusiastically creating things.”
Ichimura would admit Itagaki would share a similar sentiment, writing: it didn’t feel real at first but once the truth hit me, I couldn’t stop crying. Carrying Itagaki’s words with me, I want to keep pushing forward and continue to create new works without any regrets.”
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