The video game industry has lost an influential figure, Tomonobu Itagaki, the creator of Dead or Alive and the founder of Team Ninja. He joined Tecmo in the early 1990s and produced and directed the first four entries in the Dead or Alive fighting game. Itagaki was also behind the Dead or Alive Ultimate and the Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball spinoff.
“Words to leave,” began the message posted on his official Facebook Page. “The light of my life is about to run out. The fact that this sentence has been posted means it’s finally time. I’m no longer in this world. (This last post is for someone special to me.)”
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“My life has been a series of battles. We stayed winning. I’ve caused a lot of trouble. I stand by my beliefs and I owe it. No regrets. I just feel so sorry to all my fans that I can’t deliver my new work sorry. It is what it is. So it goes. Banobu Itagaki”
Industry executives and those who have collaborated with Tomonobu Itagaki have continued to react to the news of his demise on different social media platforms. James Mielke, the co-founder of BitSummit, revealed how close they were.
“Today I lost someone who was truly like a brother to me,” Mielke wrote on Bluesky. “I am gutted to the core. I guess I can say so now that it’s on his Facebook page. He even listed himself as my actual brother on Facebook. Anyone who knows me knows how close we were. RIP, senpai. You will always be a ninja.”
Mielke further revealed that he was collaborating on a book with the deceased game maker. To honor his friend, Mielke said he will do everything possible to give life to the book.
“I’ve been occasionally breaking down into a mess throughout the day, but I am finding solace in the 4+ hours of conversation I recorded with Itagaki-san last year for a book we were working on together,” he said. “They were his development memoirs, and I will do everything in my power to bring this to life.”
What will you remember Tomonobu Itagaki for? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.
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