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Itagaki leaves ZTeam Ninja


bishopcruz

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http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3168056

 

"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."

 

Seriously odd. I mean not just the story, but man what dark God did MS piss off that their gaming division constanty has setbacks like this, first Dyack, then Bioware Bungie and Bizarre.

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oh, that MS curse.

 

its funny; some think he did the wrong thing, japanse-business wise, by calling out Tecmo publicly. Others just think someone needs to give him a studio, quickly. if what he says is true, i hope he gets what he's owed. But the IP belongs to Tecmo, no?

Either way, Suda's house, Platinum, etc - someone should be calling this guy. I'm not a fan but he does good work.

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The Japanese aversion to litagation is a bit of a myth. They aren't as bad as we are, but business is business. If Itagaki didn't get paid, he's gonna sue. It's kinda how it works. I personally thing MS shoul grab Itagaki and start a Japanese studio, in house, they need at least one.

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well, i didnt mean the litigation itself, just the publicly calling out - thought that more taboo but i could be wrong.

if MS japan did that, any word on if any of Team Ninja follows him? also, in this hypothetical, what would you wanna see him work on next, if it was your call?

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Hell, bring him to RARE for KI3. But nah, I dunno, I say toss him on a team making action games, wherin he handles all of the gameplay balance, and someone else does all of the art and story design and God of War would be quaking in its boots.

 

It's a shame this went down, because it shows a bit in NG2, as AWESOME on all levels as the game is, the little glitches and stuff that are in the game simply weren't around in Part 1, and I'm guessing that he would rather ship the game early and a little buggy than late and out of his hands. Which is a shame, because had the game had a little more time in the cooker, it oculd have been getting 9's and 10's as opposed to it's 7's and 8's.

 

 

 

Tecmo's stock dropped 100 points in response ot this announcement. Fucking company lost it's only star developer.

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