Tomonobu Itagaki, the creator of Dead or Alive and the Ninja Gaiden reboot, has died – Kakuchopurei

Sad news for fans of action games and 3D fighting games: the famous and controversial creator and director of the game Tomonobu Itagaki has died.

This is according to a Facebook post on his profile and verified by Wario64. The cause of his death is unknown at this stage of writing.

Tomonobu Itagaki started at Tecmo in 1992 (before the Koei merger) and led the company’s development team, Team Ninja, for a very long time; 16 years old to be precise. He got his start creating the Super Famicom version of Tecmo Super Bowl, a very popular football game at the time. In 1996, he rose to fame by creating the Dead or Alive series of 3D fighting games. The pioneering fighting game series is known for its fluid animation and controls, universal countering system, destructible environments, and depiction of physics-defying female fighters. If you know, you know.

He was also known for the 2004 reboot of Ninja Gaiden for the original Xbox console, which was praised for its action, violence, and brutal difficulty. Apart from this, he is also known for his outspoken “rock star” attitude, taking criticism from the industry and media as challenges to overcome. He was also harsh on other 3D fighting games like Tekken, even though it was more of a publicity stunt than anything during the Dead or Alive era.

Rest in peace, Itagaki. The video game industry is less brilliant without your presence. Thank you for the games and the memories, especially your interviews and your candid behavior during the press tours of your titles.