Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments
Search

News for nerds, stuff that matters

Slashdot Log In

Log In

[ Create a new account ]

Ninja Gaiden's Itagaki Leaves Tecmo, Sues for Damages

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Tuesday June 03, @12:18PM
from the prima-donna-or-oppressed-developer dept.
The Courts Games
Gamasutra is reporting that Ninja Gaiden developer Tomonobu Itagaki has resigned from Tecmo and is suing for damages in the neighborhood of 148 million yen ($1.42M USD). "In recent press interviews for the just released Xbox 360 exclusive Ninja Gaiden II, Itagaki had repeatedly stated that it would be the last game in the series he would work on, while also disparaging Ninja Gaiden Sigma on the PlayStation 3 - with which he was not directly involved. At the same time he began to make reference to work beginning on a new action title unrelated to Ninja Gaiden. It now seems likely that these comments were made with the knowledge that the title would not be created at Tecmo, although Itagaki has given no indication of what his future plans might entail."

Related Stories

[+] Ninja Gaiden II Needs to Level Up the Camera Work 48 comments
The team that brought you one of the more difficult games of all time (according to some) has come back for another round. According to one review Ninja Gaiden II serves up what looks to be an amazing addition to the franchise, at least what you can see of it through the very counter-intuitive camera work. "The hybrid aesthetic - high-tech Technicolor Japan mixed with muted feudalist Japan - might sound dissonant but looks sharply coherent. In fact, in the hands of a skilled player NGII looks nothing less than exhilarating, and occasionally surpasses any martial arts movie you might care to name. And this is why the camera is such a surprisingly big issue. This isn't a problem with it getting caught on a corner occasionally, nor the odd confusing switch of perspective. It is a constant problem: obscuring foes, breaking up combos, losing track of Ryu, and flicking back and forth between positions."
[+] June Gaming Sees Host of Releases 59 comments
June gaming is certainly off with a loud roaring noise that should leave your wallet empty and your thumbs tired. Seeing titles like Ninja Gaiden II, Grid, Bourne Conspiracy, Lego Indiana Jones, Kung Fu Panda, The Incredible Hulk, and a whole host of games for handhelds and download is bound to make game reviewers weep with exhaustion.
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.

Ninja Gaiden's Itagaki Leaves Tecmo, Sues for Damages 12 Comments More | Login | Reply /

 Full
 Abbreviated
 Hidden
More | Login | Reply
Loading... please wait.

  • Tomonobu Itagaki... (Score:4, Funny)

    by Lilith's Heart-shape (1224784) on Tuesday June 03, @12:27PM (#23639843)
    Tomonobu Itagaki is going to make Tecmo his bitch. We're next.
    • So you're saying he studied Ryu Hayabusa's moves in the game before leaving the company?

      Yeah, we're boned.
      • No, he's saying he studied under John Romero and he's going to make some Ninja Gaiden/Daikatana hybrid..

    • Re:written contract (Score:5, Funny)

      by exley (221867) on Tuesday June 03, @01:44PM (#23640951) Homepage
      He was just pissed that they failed to provide him with his requisite sunglasses for outdoor and indoor use. That guy's a rock star, you know?

      Seriously, though, I wonder how series like Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive will look without Itagaki at the helm. Can DOA: Extreme Barbie Doll Dressup really be the same without his genius guidance?

      Then again I wasn't too impressed with all the focus on making the girls' breasts all bouncy -- it just ended up looking really weird. And there were never enough cute shoes!
      • Ninja Gaiden Sigma would be a good example.
        He had nothing to do with the port, due to his contempt of the PS3.
        • I didn't find anything wrong with Ninja Gaiden Sigma. I have played Ninja Gaiden (and NG: Black), and then I picked up Ninja Gaiden Sigma for the PS3. Rachel controlled well but was a varied enough style to change it up. The game didn't do anything wrong.

        • Ninja Gaiden Sigma would be a good example.
          He had nothing to do with the port, due to his contempt of the PS3.

          Reply to This
          Itagaki didn't want it on the PS3 but the port was good. High rez textures, HD graphics, same responsiveness and gameplay with a bit extra to justify the purchase.

          I think it was a matter of personal pride, he backed this horse and the release of it for th
      • You've obviously never played DOA: Beach Volleyball with custom skins.
      • I'm not convinced that a change of leadership here is a bad thing. Too often, the Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive (including Xtreme) games feel like they've been designed by somebody who really, really hates the average gamer and wants them to suffer. On on

  • The way of the ninja (Score:5, Funny)

    by Kingrames (858416) on Tuesday June 03, @02:36PM (#23641679)
    The lawsuit was found nailed to their door by a shuriken, with no less than ten corpses strewn about for good measure.

All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective owners. Comments are owned by the Poster. The Rest © 1997-2008 SourceForge, Inc.