Dead or Alive Creator Tomonobu Itagaki Dies at 58
The game industry has lost one of its most outspoken creators. The official Facebook account of designer Tomonobu Itagaki announced on Thursday that he has passed away at the age of 58.
The news came through a message Itagaki had prepared in advance, asking a loved one to post it after his death. In it he reflected on a life he described as one battle after another, expressed pride in staying true to his beliefs, and voiced his deep sorrow at not being able to give fans one more game. He signed off, in English, with a simple “So it goes.”
Itagaki joined Tecmo, later Koei Tecmo, in 1992 as a programmer. There he created the work he is perhaps best remembered for, the 3D fighting series Dead or Alive, which debuted in 1996. He guided the franchise through to Dead or Alive 4, and it grew to include spinoffs such as Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball.
He also revived Ninja Gaiden for a new generation, building on Tecmo’s classic NES games. His Ninja Gaiden arrived in 2004 and quickly earned a reputation for its demanding combat, and he stayed on through its 2008 sequel.
Itagaki left Koei Tecmo just before Ninja Gaiden II shipped in 2008 and founded Valhalla Game Studios the following year. Valhalla released Devil’s Third on the Wii U in 2015, with an online version that ran briefly before closing in 2017. He departed Valhalla that same year and, in 2021, announced a fresh venture called Itagaki Games.
My take: Itagaki was a bold, divisive, and deeply passionate creator, and the ache in his final words about never finishing one more game is hard to read. May he rest well.
