• 3Jun 08

  Tomonobu Itagaki resigns from Tecmo -- Farewell Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive

  

  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

  "

  

  Dear Tomonobu Itagaki San,

  I have been your fan before I knew it, and I realized it, on the first time I watched an interview of yours.

  I respect you position as a fan (and only as such), therefore, I am with you, and always will be as long as you maintain your dedication and effectiveness at what you do best. In my opinion, you made the best fighting game of the last generation, DoA2U, and the best action adventure game of all time, NGB.

  I trust your skills, and I know that a talent like yours will only have a hard time deciding your next venture, because they are probably already so many doors opened for you.

  I hope Tecmo, treats well these two franchises that are very dear to me, thanks to you, and that you create even more bad-ass projects like Ninja Gaiden.

  We love you, you will always be the video games rock-star, baby!

  

  
  

  I hope MSFT maintains a great relationship with Tecmo, and Itagaki, or even possibly ends up working closely with Itagaki San, just like they are doing with Peter Molyneux and, Hironobu Sakaguchi. Imagine that, another tour de force from one of the very best minds of the industry, working with MSFT--which could actually buy Tecmo, or the DoA and NG franchises.

  -----------------------------------------------

  STORY UPDATE:

  (extracts from Magrino's article, GS)

  "

  Tecmo affirms Itagaki departure

  Japanese publisher acknowledges celebrity gamemaker's departure, says new Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden games "already underway" at Team Ninja.

  While Tecmo was initially mum over the situation, the Japanese publisher today dispersed to the media a written statement in English, acknowledging Itagaki's departure. "On June 3, 2008, Tomonobu Itagaki, executive producer of Tecmo-owned development studio Team Ninja, submitted his resignation," reads the statement. "Due to the fact that he had recently filed a legal complaint against Tecmo, there was no choice but to accept his resignation."

  Tecmo's statement also addressed Itagaki's lawsuit. "The legal complaint is in regards to a claim to an incentive bonus linked to a past project," said Tecmo. "The parties could not reach an amicable resolution to this matter and Itagaki chose to seek a legal remedy. Tecmo will let the court decide the outcome of this case and will seek a true, fair, and quick resolution."

  "Most importantly, Tecmo would like to assure its loyal fans that Team Ninja, known for its top selling and critically acclaimed Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive franchises, is intact and, as a matter of fact, have several new projects already underway," said Tecmo. "Team Ninja is, more than ever, committed to producing compelling and cutting edge games in order to maintain its reputation as a high quality developer and to continue to receive the support of its loyal fans."

  "

  While I'm on Itagaki's side simply because the last thing developers are known for is materialistic greed, besides, DoA saved saved Tecmo in the 90's just like FF1 (& arguably FF2) saved Square. He shouldn't even be in this position of having to petition for his bonuses. He should be receiving the same treatment that Myamoto gets on Nintendo, Will Wright on EA, Peter Molyneux gets on MSFT, and so many other great producers like that guy from GT5.
  
  However, I do love the the DoA and Ninja Gaiden franchises, I believe that Team Ninja is more than competent to lead its next generation of games without Itagaki, because they've been working with him for so long, and maybe they may even come up with a new twist to the series that may surprise a lot of people.
  
  I think of games like DMC, RE, SF, God of War, Halo, MK, FF, and others franchises who didn't maintain their original project leaders but turned out just fine; studios like SCEA SM, Rare, Bungie, and others have proved just that--an I believe that Team Ninja is not any less competent.
  
  I wish the best for both parties. Let's just hope that Tecmo keeps their franchises on the X360, or better yet, make them multiplatform without sacrificing quality so they can attain even more commercial acclaim.

  I just hope fans won't boycott great games just because of this mess.

  • Posted Jun 3, 2008 12:23 am PT
  • Category: Editorial
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• 8Apr 08

  The State of Fighting Games: Reaction to Soul Calibur IV's official blog, on IGN

  Official original post by, Katsutoshi Sasaki, Soulcalibur IV director: The Soul Still Burns.

  

  IMO, I am very worried about the commercial success of SCIV and other AAA fighting titles like MKVIII, Tekken 6, Killer Instinct 3, and a little for SF4(the least of worries here) [etc]. I think Virtua Fighter 5 is an awesome game that should have sold a lot more, among others.

  Why? In an era of shooters, co-op MP, and team MP, fighting games are pretty much left in the cold because only few gamers rise to the top. Thus causing less interest for fighting games than per say, Halo or CoD games--were people can rely on teamwork as well as skill, unlike beat'em ups were in the end, it's all about skills.

  I am not worried about the quality at all because we have always had great SC games, and the other fighting series are top notch as well. I just think that we need some kind of innovation that will allow people to play as much as they want without focusing too much on skills (practice makes perfect, but obsession is not helthy). For instance, I played DOA4 for a year and I got up to S-Grade (the 2nd highest), I stopped playing it for a couple of months because I started buying more and more games, and when I'd play DoA4, I would be so punished for losing, it became frustrating (when one 1 loss=10 wins). I don't have the patience to look for people to pwn, I just expect to be fairly matched more often than not.

  
  

  I hope developers find better ways to equally level the playing field, and having to dumb it down is a lazy excuse, because Capcom vs. SNK2 EO proved that two control types can co-exist without hurting veterans while helping new comers.

  For instance, taking advantage of each console with real technical features, instead of exclusive content (that coul only positively contribute to the overall package), like Yoda (Xbox 360) and Darth V. (PS3)—so basically, a PS3 owner can't play with Yoda just because he bought the wrong console? Is the publisher suggesting that he spends $300 more dollars just to play with Yoda? How many people are going to do that? Is it really going to make a financial difference? Don't you agree that when people don't feel left out, they are much more inclined to follow you/buy your products?

  To conclude, they are other motives that may hurt fighting games console sells like 6mos-to-1yr-old Arcade pre-releases (it causes the hype and excitement to die down), lack of community integration, learning curve (but depth should never come at a cost of accessibility, it's not easy, but it is not impossible either), and things that may seam irrelevant for hardcore fighting fans, like character development and story lines. A good story can do wanders (learn from RPG's, Go to Silicon Knights website, to learn about the psychology of storytelling, lazy link).

  I hope more games take DoA4's robust online options to the next level, with even more team modes and co-op features that work well, because most of the time, winning together is more rewarding than winning alone.

  • Posted Apr 8, 2008 4:55 pm PT
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• 7Feb 08

  Lost Odyssey finally found its way into NA. Now what? From a so-what? guy

  I just watched Gametrailers' review, and yesterday I watched IGN's, and I admit that I'm less skeptical. I haven't bought a JRPG since FF8, and this might finally be it. I never thought I would go back to this genre of turn-based games but I guess, Eternal Sonata kinda made me want to play this type of RPG's again. (I'm yet to buy it as well, but I will, eventually, because I liked the demo, and the music is timeless; Choppin, baby!

  I think those two reviews are very good because they express well the pros and cons of the game. That is why I prefer video reviews over written reviews. I treat games like music, if a review has track samples it's always better than just words (and by the way, go to mp3.com if you want to litsten to new releases in case you're undecided, instead of constantly basing your purchase on someone else's reviews; in a similar fashion, video reviews tease you with interesting footage, instead of just still pictures and stupid scores that have a peculiar meaning depending on the website/reviewer.

  Most people look at scores and compare among websites, but they are so subjective, I prefer to really understand wehre the reviewer is coming from above all. If you check my collection you will see a wide range of games games, in which few score less than 5/10, the same goes for high nines, 9.5. Sometimes it's about quality, sometimes it's guilty pleasure; FUN. For instance, the last "mediocre" game I have enjoyed is SoF: Payback, and I think it's slightly underrated; it's a fair game instead, if you ask me: 6-7/10. This score is for "hardcore" fans of the genre, not for everyone, I understand. It doesn't mean that the game should be boycotted. So, If you expect Lost Odyssey to score a 9.4 just like Mass Effect did on IGN, and this is the only reason you would buy it, you're pretty much not a real gamer or you simply need to learn more about games. What I'm saying is, take advantage of reviews because good ones often showcase what you can't see, not to influence your tastes and purchase.

  If this game has French voices I'll buy it asap, if not I'll ponder a little more because I'll still have to get DMC4, which I'm not so crazy about it because I think NG2's AI is the basis of a hack-and-slasher with such an intricate combo system.

  But that's just me, A PROUD ELECTIC GAMER.

  • Posted Feb 7, 2008 4:28 pm PT
  • Category: Games
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