Tomonobu Itagaki, 'Dead or Alive' creator, dies aged 58
Tomonobu Itagaki, the legendary creator of the Dead or Alive series, and creative mind behind the 2004 version of Ninja Gaiden, has passed away at the age of 58, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
The news was shared on his personal Facebook page, and independently confirmed by members of the development community. The cause of death was not given.
Always wearing his signature sunglasses regardless of location, Itagaki was a legendary presence in the Japanese development scene. He joined Tecmo in 1992 and rose to become head of its development team, Team Ninja. He was producer and director of the first seven Dead or Alive games, and advised on other Tecmo titles.
After leaving the company in 2008, following the launch of Ninja Gaiden 2, he formed Valhalla Game Studios and released Devil’s Third in 2015. Valhalla closed in 2021 and he launched Itagaki Games, which had yet to release a title.
Other developers have shared their grief and memories of Itagaki on social media. James Mielke, co-founder of BitSummit, wrote “Today I lost someone who was truly like a brother to me. I am gutted to the core… 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.”.
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