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Tomonobu Itagaki Resigns From Team Ninja

By Reggie Carolipio on Tuesday, June 3, 2008 at 7:00 AM EST  

According to a news post on 1Up, Andrew Szymanski, Tomonobu Itagaki’s translator (both pictured above), has issued an official statement on behalf of the the outspoken developer, that both have resigned from Tecmo and their respective posts at Team Ninja and Itagaki-san is suing his former employer for unpaid bonuses.

The statement sent out on June 3 by Itagaki outlines both the reasons for the dramatic departure and an apology to his fans:

Statement

I, Tomonobu Itagaki, hereby announce that on the 14th of May 2008 I filed a complaint in the Tokyo District Court against Tecmo Co., Ltd. for unpaid completion bonuses, and against the President of Tecmo, Yoshimi Yasuda, for such unlawful acts as unreasonable and disingenuous statements made towards me, claiming damages in total of 148 million yen. I also announce that this complaint was delivered to the defendants on May 22nd of the same year.

In addition, I hereby announce that I have today submitted a letter of resignation to Tecmo Co., Ltd. stating that I will resign as of the 1st of July, 2008.

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.” 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. Thus, I have no choice but to resign from Tecmo Co., Ltd.

The conduct of Tecmo Co., Ltd. and its president Yoshimi Yasuda towards me has been unbefitting of a publicly-listed company.

I have filed this lawsuit with a strong intent to question the social responsibility of Tecmo Co., Ltd. and its President Yoshimi Yasuda, as well as condemning them for their unjust acts. Today, in addition to announcing the reasons for this lawsuit, I make clear my reasons for resigning.

To All Game Fans

I truly feel sorry to all the fans of the games I have made. NINJA GAIDEN 2, which will launch on the 3rd of June will be the last NINJA GAIDEN I will create. I will also never be able to make DEAD OR ALIVE 5. I regret the circumstances that have forced me to leave Tecmo, where I had worked for so many years, and I regret the disappointment this will cause my fans.

However, I can no longer continue to work with President Yoshimi Yasuda, a man who chooses not to honor promises even when he is able to do so.

I truly hope that nothing like this happens again in the future.

Tecmo Co., Ltd. Creative Officer

Leader, Team NINJA

Tomonobu Itagaki

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Comments

2 Responses to “Tomonobu Itagaki Resigns From Team Ninja”

  1. john on June 12th, 2008 12:41 am

    i am a big fan of mr. itagaki but he cant do this he has so many fans releasing a new game before you make your speach is suppose to make us feel true what the president of tecmo was just wrong and he’ll get his but leaving team ninja? there are fans world wide that is jacked up because now there wont be a doa5. doa is all i play all day and eveyday so i could be a pro i was hoping to carry that legacy to doa5 but now that aint even possible july 1st is doomsday for us doa and ninja gaiden fans now were stuck with an amazing unfinished story. farewell…

    Angry doa fan.

  2. Emmanuel on August 25th, 2008 2:55 pm

    *sigh*…Ya know, I’m really disappointed that the Tecmo president didn’t pay his dues to Mr. Itagaki. I mean, the man was a genius and basically was the one who made the company prosper with the DOA series and also the newly loved Ninja Gaiden series. Even though I hate to see most of Mr. Itagaki’s ideas not go into a the great gaming series that he created, I do understand why he resigned and can’t be mad at him. It sucks the Ninja Gaiden 3 and DOA 5 won’t be made and hope that in the end, the president of Tecmo will realize that he made a tragic mistake in cheating Mr. Itagaki. If all goes well in the future, I pray that Mr. Itagaki will later create the games with another company or go back to Tecmo if they keep their promises.

    A DOA and Ninja Gaiden Fan

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