3D Ninja Gaiden And Dead Or Alive Creator Tomonobu Itagaki Dead At 58

Tomonobu Itagaki, the mastermind behind Dead or Alive and the modern Ninja Gaiden games, has died. He was 58 years old.

According to IGN, Itagaki’s passing was confirmed by his family hours after a close friend published his final words (in Japanese) on his Facebook page at his request, along with a final photo of the creator, posted above. The translated message reads:

Last Words
The light of my life is finally fading.
The fact that this message has been posted means that the time has finally come. I am no longer in this world.
(I am entrusting this final post to someone important to me.)
My life has been a series of battles. I kept winning.
I have caused a lot of trouble, too.
I am proud to say that I followed my beliefs and fought to the end.
I have no regrets.
However, I am filled with regret that I was unable to deliver a new work to all my fans. I am sorry.
That's how it is.
So it goes.
Itagaki Tomonobu

Known for his rockstar persona and outspoken, at times brash, personality, Itagaki began his career working at Tecmo in 1992. He would form the fabled Team Ninja in 1995, serving as its head until his departure in 2008. His tenure at Team Ninja is notable for his creation of the critically and commercially successful Dead or Alive fighting franchise; Itagaki directed the first four mainline entries along with its spin-off beach volleyball game. In the lead-up to the launch of Dead or Alive 3, Itagaki spoke to Game Informer in issue 101 (pg. 49) about his vision for the future of fighting games: "Fighting games need to be easier to play in order to reach a broader audience. The system isn’t the major factor, because it exists to support the games being made. Of course, developers can do more with a superior system, but it is the games that must reach out to the players."

Itagaki would then lead the creative vision for the revival of the Ninja Gaiden series, which saw the side-scrolling franchise reworked with then-state-of-the-art 3D graphics, fast-paced, violent action, and brutal difficulty. "I want to bring America the true meaning of ninja," Itagaki told us in the September 2001 issue of Game Informer magazine. The new series kicked off with 2004’s Ninja Gaiden, followed by its sequel, 2008’s Ninja Gaiden II, both of which Itagaki directed and produced. Both games were well-received by critics and players.

Tomonobu Itagaki being interviewed by Game Informer circa 2001.

Following a contentious split from Tecmo, in which he sued the company for unpaid bonuses (settled in 2010), Itagaki formed Valhalla Studios to create the action game Devil’s Third, his final directorial credit. First announced in 2009, it underwent a lengthy development cycle before being released exclusively on the Wii U in 2015. Devil’s Third was critically panned, however, and Itagaki would leave Valhalla Games in 2017. In 2021, Valhalla’s parent company, Wake Up Interactive, was acquired by Tencent, with Wake Up later merging Valhalla’s staff with subsidiary Soleil, effectively shuttering the studio.

Itagaki has been largely out of the public eye since departing Valhalla; his final video game credit is serving as “Supreme Advisor” on 2020’s Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time by Soleil. Over the last decade, he shifted his focus towards fostering younger game development talent. In January 2021, Itagaki formed a new studio called Itagaki Games, which remains in operation as of 2024.

Itagaki’s death comes days before the launch of Ninja Gaiden 4, the latest installment of the series he created, though he had no involvement with this entry. 

The game industry is paying tributes to Itagaki on social media, including from Tekken boss Katsuhiro Harada, former Halo composer Marty O'Donnell, developer James Montagna, Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon, and his former home, Team Ninja:

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. 
Our deepest condolences for his loss.
From everyone at Team NINJA