Ninja Gaiden creator Tomonobu Itagaki starts new game studio – Gaming – News

I think that this completely unfairly dismisses his work on both Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive. Especially since both series under the remaining team only continue on its unchanged formula. The latest DoA games rely on DLC outfits for the well-known characters. Looking for relevance in the present time.

Itagaki, like other “rockstar game devs” from the 90s and 00s, had / has a certain approach and vision, both in a positive and negative sense. Difficult to work with, impulsive, impatient. Quite unusual in a Japanese entertainment company. But it did lead to the identity and success of the Dead or Alive series in arcades and on home consoles.

The fact that he has achieved little since his dismissal at Tecmo can be attributed to several factors, the least relevant of which is his age. I think the most important thing is that he doesn’t like the business part at all. Building a studio from scratch. The long development process of Devil’s Third, which was extended due to the lack of publisher. Then rushed a downgrade / rewrite to bring the game to Wii U. Just because Nintendo was thirsty for third party content for that platform, and Valhalla was thirsty for a new publisher. It does not seem illogical that as a game director you will be frustrated in your intended goals.

I think after 7 years of trying to do something productive to the bone, he was just done with it. Especially when you know that the project cannot be saved anymore. Also not completely fair to charge someone for that. If he now tries to do something cool with renewed energy, I am curious. Certainly in times of online distribution and improved tools, I still want to give him a chance.

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