Ninja Gaiden II director Itagaki quits Tecmo

sam-os.. if they're such medicore games why did you rate ng a 9???

Sure, Tecmo will make more DOA and Ninja Gaiden games, but it will never be the same without Itagaki's vision and input.

@willimate - why did he quit on tecmo company, but i guess they'll start ninja gaiden 2 without him ------------------- You're not much into reading, are you? They clearly outline why he quit and they're not starting NG2. It's already completed.

That's too bad. At least he got NG2 out. I so want to get that, it looks friggin awesome.

dont really play ninja gaiden or dead or alive anyway.

why did he quit on tecmo company, but i guess they'll start ninja gaiden 2 without him

The new Ninja Gaidens and Dead or Alive Series are some of the most terrible mediocre games ever made. Who cares.

on the thing team ninja own the engines,aint they a subsidiary of Tecmo so inherantly Tecmo own the engine tech with them owning team ninja? anyway hope he goes to a diffrent 3rd party dev like sega or something they need a good game to get out that slump they are in at the moment.I mean he could reboot the Shinobi or golden axe series in the same manner which would rock a lot.

This guy is known to be a crybaby and a jerk. He dissed the makers of Tekken, who obviously made a much finer fighting game than he did.

If he was really supposed to get paid he should, that's just fair. Maybe he will find a good job at Microsoft......

So not only will companies like MS be beating down his door to sign him up he also (perhaps) has a massive payout to look forward to. He must be laughing all the way to sunglasses shop :)

he will just kiss bill gates ass, get more money and continue the games init

So if Tecmo didn't pay him his bonuses for DoA4, why did he continue making Ninja Gaiden for the same company?

wow, i did not see that coming !

RareDropRadio, Team Ninja probably has ownership of the engine though, for both games. So if there are more NG and DOA sequels, they won't look the same.

Whow, what a shame. I'm sure that Tecmo owns the rights to both the Ninja Gaiden and DOA series. Not a bright move on Tecmo's part to let Itagaki go. They should have just paid him his bonus.

Why is there drama surrounding him everytime he releases a game?

yay!!! this means ps3 will get doa series and ng series.. huahua...

who owns the rights to dead or alive and ninja gaiden? itagaki or tecmo? cuz if itagaki was the only reason that doa4 and ninja gaiden 2 r 360 exclusives, we can get some great multiplatform games from tecmo

don't worry, Bill Gate will pays for him

I can now imagine Itagaki moving to M$ since he's a fan of the hardware and I pretty much cant imagine him moving to Sony as he has been vocal in showing his hatred of its console from past interviews

Now that is a major loss. I wasn't a DoA fan but I have always been a huge fan of the Ninja Gaiden series, and hearing this really does suck. As others menitoned though, he is very prestigious and could very easily get a job elsewhere. Now I don't know if he means he emotionally can't handle making another DoA or NG game because of the crap he had to go through with Tecmo recently, or if it is a problem because Tecmo owns rights to the two series' and therefore he would need their permission to make it with another company which obviously will not happen. That being said, I just hope he doesn't give up on game developing completely, because he does make good games. Hats off to Itagaki, who many may believe was not the greatest of men when it came to personality, but he has made a helluva lot of great games. Here's hoping he's not quite done yet...

my favorite game designer! wow what a shocker...holy crap....cant wait to see where the most "badass" game developer goes next!

To Timstuff If they don't have enough talent with Itagaki gone to keep solid games coming out, they could very likely get bought up by Capcom or Konami after a string of flops. I know that Konami, as an arcade operator, would be pretty keen on acquiring a high-profile fighting game franchise like Dead or Alive. I hope you know that Konami doesn't just make videogame for console and arcades. They make a huge profit in casino gaming. So the don't reall have a "string of flops" since they do have so much more. The gamespot audience probably doesn't know. Just informing you.

he should go to Capcom

Its a real shame as DoA has been one of my fave franchises since I was 12 years old so the thought of not having DoA5 is saddening the only other games from tecmo I normally buy is project zero & the detective titles for the DS

Why did the game get 8.0/10?? :'(. I mean it is better than Sigma and SIgmna got 9.0. WTF???

Honestly, I think Itagaki San should pick up with Sega so he can take over Jet set Radio on a new capacity like doa. Or maybe Shenmue or perhaps Space Channel. And continue doa at there. Honestly, Jet Set Radio could use a new sequel, why not mix doa with that for a change?

With his standing in the gaming industry he can get a job at any game company if he so chooses to continue game development. All I have to say is, it doesn't have to be "Ninja Gaiden" to be a "Ninja Gaiden".

team ninja cant survive without him, he's a modern day ninja! Iv never really liked the guy as a person, but is very talented at what he does. Oh, and to those who are confused for why he cant make NG3 or DOA5 with another company its because Tecmo has the rights to the series.

tecmo is going down the only good games from tecmo are dead or alive and ninja gaiden games without them tecmo is nothing, dont expect me to buy any tecmo game within the next years, I am sure doa and ninja gaiden are going to turn into mediocre franchises without the vision of Itagaki San. Good bye temo

Its aight next up "EA pressents..... DOA5 and NINJA GAIDEN 3"

quit or sue??? hahahaha.. he's doing both!!.. good move!!!

Although I have a less-than-positive opinion of Mr. Itagaki, I must say with him gone, Tecmo doesn't have much going for it. It's possible that now with Itagaki gone, Tecmo is going to try some new things that he wouldn't allow, like making Dead or Alive less sexualized and more realistic, and bringing something genuinely new to the Ninja Gaiden franchise. Or, they could do the opposite and become so obsessed with preserving what Itagaki left behind, that the games will devolve into trash. Tecmo's future looks hazy right now, that's for sure. If they don't have enough talent with Itagaki gone to keep solid games coming out, they could very likely get bought up by Capcom or Konami after a string of flops. I know that Konami, as an arcade operator, would be pretty keen on acquiring a high-profile fighting game franchise like Dead or Alive.

Itagaki's games NG and DOA are the only thing keeping Tecmo alive. Without his vision and demand for quality Tecmo is finished.

I'm flabbergasted!

Tecmo, the new victim of EA's Japan division

Wow...there goes Tecmo's relevence.....

actually, in addition to those, they only make Fatal Frame.

"What other games does tecmo makes apart from NG and DOA??" Only thing I know is Tecmo Bowl. Still, pretty big news...Tecmo might be gone in a few years or picked up by a bigger publisher/developer.

well this will suck.who will continue Doa Or Ng.

This is really disappointing I cant believe that they are doing this to a great man he was able to make good games so I hope he gets tecmo to give him that money so he can start a new company and do DOA5 and other great games

Pretty Ugly if you ask me. Not him the situation...well with those sunglasses him too. Oh well, ill just wait for NGII Sigma to hit PS3 and then ill start to care. So whats Hideo Kojima-San doing these days. Gimme my MGS oh yeah

If the man said "Im leaving the industry" I'd see why everyone is freaking out with the whole no DOA5 or NG3 thing, but he isn't. What will happen is he'll either get picked up by MS (Maybe sony, Money talks, but still he's a fanboy at heart) or he'll make his own studio. I mean can you guys imagine him off the chain? We will see boobage bigger than Ivy in Soul Calibur 4, We could have yet another breastacular fighting game :P

Ikagaki leaves on the eve of NGII and not long after they annouce that thier bringin' the forgotten "Tecmo Bowl" franchise in low form back on Wii. Team Ninja, if I were you I'd ask him back you can't survive without him. Well Itagaki-san there are plent of other Japanese publishers you can join Sony,Sqaure,Atlus, SNK maybe some hentai game publishers: Illusion,D3,Lilith,Cherry Soft. Or how about arcade publishers: SEGA,NamcoBandai,Capcom

with the deparature of genius director Itagaki, DoA and Ninja Gaiden serie's fame have gone alone with him...

This leaves me speechless. Wow.

What other games does tecmo makes apart from NG and DOA??

lol at itagaki haters who couldn't even develope a flu. I say he ninpo that phag yasuda's ass and pull a finishing move on him, ryu style.

At the very least I hope he sticks with the business. Perhaps he can get a dev team with MS.