https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/dead-or-alive-creator-tomonobu-itagaki-has-passed-away-at-58 Logo Informa TechTarget and Informa Tech's Digital Business Combine.TechTarget and Informa TechTarget and Informa Tech's Digital Business Combine. Together, we power an unparalleled network of 220+ online properties covering 10,000+ granular topics, serving an audience of 50+ million professionals with original, objective content from trusted sources. We help you gain critical insights and make more informed decisions across your business priorities. Game Market ResearchWatch GDC Talks on GDC VaultAttend or Exhibit at GDCAdvertise With Game Developer Game Developer Logo Newsletter Sign-Up Newsletter Sign-Up Trending Now Related Topics * #[?] Layoffs & Studio Closures * #[?] Generative AI & ML * #[?] Industry Lawsuits * #[?] Development Tools * #[?] Culture & Dev Communities Recent in Trending Now Top Stories Gamescom Asia signage in a crowded hallway at the 2024 event Business 'It's about global success:' Gamescom Asia x Thailand Game Show director outlines vision for new-look event'It's about global success:' Gamescom Asia x Thailand Game Show director outlines vision for new-look event byChris Kerr Oct 17, 2025 4 Min Read A photo of Mark Darrah next to the logo for the Game Developer Podcast. Production Leadership lessons from Mark Darrah's days at BioWare - Game Developer Podcast Episode. 57Leadership lessons from Mark Darrah's days at BioWare - Game Developer Podcast Episode. 57 byGame Developer Podcast Oct 17, 2025 Latest News Related Topics * #[?] Weekly News Highlights * #[?] News Deep Dives * #[?] GD Collective Research Recent in Latest News The many Assassins of the Assassin's Creed series. Business Former Assassin's Creed boss says Ubisoft asked him to 'step aside' Former Assassin's Creed boss says Ubisoft asked him to 'step aside' byBryant Francis Oct 17, 2025 2 Min Read Key artwork for Hearthstone Business Hearthstone and Warcraft Rumble developers unionize to combat 'instability and unfair conditions'Hearthstone and Warcraft Rumble developers unionize to combat 'instability and unfair conditions' byChris Kerr Oct 17, 2025 2 Min Read Game Developer Podcast Game Design Programming More Related Topics * #[?] Best of GDC Vault * #[?] Developer Interviews * #[?] Game Dev Deep Dives * #[?] Video Game Postmortems * #[?] Partner Perspectives Recent in More Read More Gamescom Asia signage in a crowded hallway at the 2024 event Business 'It's about global success:' Gamescom Asia x Thailand Game Show director outlines vision for new-look event'It's about global success:' Gamescom Asia x Thailand Game Show director outlines vision for new-look event byChris Kerr Oct 17, 2025 4 Min Read A photo of Mark Darrah next to the logo for the Game Developer Podcast. Production Leadership lessons from Mark Darrah's days at BioWare - Game Developer Podcast Episode. 57Leadership lessons from Mark Darrah's days at BioWare - Game Developer Podcast Episode. 57 byGame Developer Podcast Oct 17, 2025 Sponsored By * Design * Console * PC * News Obituary: Dead or Alive creator Tomonobu Itagaki has passed away at 58Obituary: Dead or Alive creator Tomonobu Itagaki has passed away at 58Obituary: Dead or Alive creator Tomonobu Itagaki has passed away at 58 Itagaki is also credited with reviving Tecmo's Ninja Gaidan series. Picture of Bryant Francis Bryant Francis, Senior Editor, GameDeveloper.com October 16, 2025 3 Min Read A photo of Tomonobu Itagaki and his daughter smiling for the camera. Image via Tomonobu Itagaki. Former Tecmo game director Tomonobu Itagaki has passed away at age 58. Word of the veteran developer's passing comes from a statement shared by his family on his Facebook page with one last message from the veteran developer. Itagaki was best known for creating and directing Tecmo's Dead or Alive series starting in 1996, and reviving Ninja Gaidan franchise with the 2004 game Ninja Gaidan. "The light of my life is about to run out," Itagaki wrote in his final post (translated from Japanese via Google Translate). He called his life a "series of battles" that he kept winning, and that despite the trials he stayed by his beliefs and has "no regrets." He expressed remorse for not being able to share his "new work" with fans. He concluded his last message with a phrase in English: "so it goes." Itagaki's peers from across the video game industry have shared messages mourning his loss. Tekken series director and producer Katsuhiro Harada called his passing "too soon" in a post on X. "Didn't you say you were going to defeat me someday? Didn't you come to my wedding, wearing your usual black leather jacket and sunglasses, and call me your comrade-in-arms? Didn't you tell me to come to you whenever I was in trouble?" "I never even got the chance to consult you about anything." Related:The secrets of Dead Cells' smart constraints - Unlocking the Vault #3 Itagaki's was a raucous--and sometimes inappropriate creative As noted by many game industry professionals celebrating Itagaki's legacy, the famed game director and producer was a big personally known for his trademark leather jacket and sunglasses. Contemporaneous coverage of his career shows that he had a habit of showing up inebriated to industry events and sometimes making inappropriate comments about the (often sexualized, sometimes underage) characters in his games. Itagaki began his career at Tecmo in 1992 as a graphics programmer on the Super Famicon version of Tecmo Super Bowl, and would spend another 16 years at the company, taking over leadership of Ninja Gaidan development team Team Ninja in 2001 and rising to the rank of executive officer in 2004. But in 2006 he was removed from that position after being accused of sexual harassment that began in 2003. A Tokyo court cleared him of the charges in 2007. He left Tecmo in 2008, suing the company and for Y=148 million (about $1.4 million) for unpaid bonuses. He also filed suit against then-company president Yoshimi Yasuda for "unreasonable and disingenuous statements" made in the workplace. He went on to form Valhalla Entertainment, which would release Wii U exclusive Devil's Third in 2015. He left the company in 2017 and returned to game development in 2021 with the founding of Itagaki Games. It's unclear if any game he worked on at the studio will ever see the light of day. Related:How 'power inflation' compromises live service games like The First Descendant "Not everyone has to be living on the edge like I am. I think that would be a problem too, if that was the case," Itagaki said in a 2011 interview with Game Developer (then Gamasutra) discussing the types of creative personalities he wanted to work with. In it he shared a philosophy that--for better or worse--seems to embody his roller coaster of a career. "Being confident is something that comes internally," he said. "It has to come from your past. Something that you know you can do, and you can do it for the future, and you can back it up." Itagaki is survived by his wife and a 28-year-old daughter. Read more about: Obituaries & LegacyTop Stories About the Author Bryant Francis Bryant Francis Senior Editor, GameDeveloper.com Bryant Francis is a writer, journalist, and narrative designer based in Boston, MA. He currently writes for Game Developer, a leading B2B publication for the video game industry. His credits include Proxy Studios' upcoming 4X strategy game Zephon and Amplitude Studio's 2017 game Endless Space 2. See more from Bryant Francis Daily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inbox Stay Updated You May Also Like --------------------------------------------------------------------- Latest News The many Assassins of the Assassin's Creed series. Business Former Assassin's Creed boss says Ubisoft asked him to 'step aside' Former Assassin's Creed boss says Ubisoft asked him to 'step aside' byBryant Francis Oct 17, 2025 2 Min Read Get daily news, dev insights, and in-depth reads from Game Developer straight to your inbox Subscribe to Game Developer Newsletters to stay caught up with the latest news, design insights, marketing tips, and more Stay Updated Latest Podcasts * Leadership lessons from Mark Darrah's days at BioWare - Game Developer Podcast Episode. 57 Oct 17, 2025 * Spooky MMORPG networking stories from Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 - GDC Podcast Ep. 56 Oct 3, 2025 * Making a gargantuan game like Borderlands 4 - Game Developer Podcast Ep. 55 Sep 19, 2025 * Digging into the combat design of Cronos: The New Dawn - Game Developer Podcast Ep. 54 Sep 5, 2025 See all Game Developer Collective An African American woman looks at a laptop in frustration. Business Devs are more worried than ever that generative AI will lower the quality of gamesDevs are more worried than ever that generative AI will lower the quality of games byBryant Francis Sep 16, 2025 4 Min Read Game Design & Marketing Highlights Gamescom Asia signage in a crowded hallway at the 2024 event Business 'It's about global success:' Gamescom Asia x Thailand Game Show director outlines vision for new-look event'It's about global success:' Gamescom Asia x Thailand Game Show director outlines vision for new-look event Game Developer Logo More from GD Blog with Game DeveloperBlogging GuidelinesGame Developer Podcast Submit a Tip Connect About UsAdvertise With Game DeveloperContact Us Join Us Newsletter Sign-Up Follow Us GDC Vault LogoGame Developer Job BoardGDCOmdia Informa Copyright (c) 2025 TechTarget, Inc. d/b/a Informa TechTarget. This website is owned and operated by Informa TechTarget, part of a global network that informs, influences and connects the world's technology buyers and sellers. All copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. TechTarget, Inc.'s registered office is 275 Grove St. Newton, MA 02466. Home|Cookie Policy|Privacy|Terms of Use