Mystery shrouds death of ‘Ninja Gaiden' creator Tomonobu Itagaki

Tomonobu Itagaki, the legendary game developer behind the Dead or Alive fighting series and critically acclaimed 2004 revival of Ninja Gaiden, has died. He was 58.

His demise was confirmed through a poignant, pre-written message that was shared on his official Facebook page.

However, his family and friends have not disclosed the cause of his death yet.

The mysterious post titled, “Last Words,” served as a final farewell to his fans and colleagues.

The post stated, “The light of my life is finally fading. The fact that this message has been posted means that the time has finally come. I am no longer in this world.”

The post further shed light on his tumultuous career, stating, “My life has been a series of battles. I kept winning.”

Lastly, the post ended with a profound sorrow to his fans, saying, “I am filled with regret that I was unable to deliver a new work to all my fans. I am sorry.”

Itagaki was an icon, and one cannot underestimate his signature sunglasses and boldness. 

He worked with Tecmo in 1992 and became famous as the leader of Team Ninja.

His leadership saw the studio produce the Dead or Alive franchise, a series of high-speed action games, and released one of the best action games of all time, Ninja Gaiden on the Xbox.

His departure from Tecmo in 2008 was acrimonious involving the lawsuit over unpaid bonuses.

Later, he created Valhalla Game Studios that released Devil's Third and more recently established Itagaki Games.

With the news of his death, tributes from the industry started to pour in.

James Mielke, Co-founder BitSummit posted, “Today I lost someone who was truly like a brother to me... RIP, senpai. You will always be a ninja.”

Director of rival Tekken series, Katsuhiro Harada stated, “No way, Itagaki-san... I don't believe it.”

Itagaki left a legacy of iconic characters and genre-defining actions ending an iconic era for a generation of games.