Legendary Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive director, the eternally sunglassed Tomonobu Itagaki, has passed away.
A post on Facebook first broke the news, but it seems been corroborated by James Mielke on Bluesky.
The original social media post reads, as translated by Google:
“Last Words
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.
(I’m asking a loved one to make this final post.)
My life has been a series of battles. I kept winning.
I’ve caused a lot of trouble, too.
I’m proud to say that I followed my beliefs and fought to the end.
I have no regrets.
However, I’m filled with regret that I wasn’t able to deliver a new work to all my fans. I’m sorry.
That’s just how it is.
So, it goes.
Itagaki Tomonobu”
James Mielke has since confirmed the news with the following heart-felt post:
Itagaki will be remembered for his rebellious attitude and his input into many of the industry’s most defining works, like Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive.
While at times he wasn’t always the biggest fan of PlayStation – often famously preferring Microsoft’s Xbox – his output will be remembered by gamers around the world.
His passing comes at a particularly poignant moment, as Ninja Gaiden 4 from PlatinumGames is due out later this month. He didn’t work on the game.
We’d like to express our very best wishes to Itagaki’s friends and family at this difficult time.
Thanks for the many, many great memories!