Ninja Gaiden director Tomonobu Itagaki is back to game development with a newly established studio, he revealed.
In a post published on his Facebook page “href =” https://www.videogameschronicle.com/companies/facebook/ “> Facebook page, the designer revealed that he founded Itagaki Games, a new studio unrelated to its former employers Tecmo and Valhalla.
“For the past four years, I have offered educational opportunities for juniors, but now I feel like I want to make a game again and just start a business for the purpose,” he wrote.
The 53-year-old designer and his Ninja Gaiden team were nearly two decades behind Tecmo’s biggest games, including the Dead or Alive series and the Xbox “href =” https://www.videogameschronicle.com/platforms/xbox/ ” > Xbox Reboot from Ninja Gaiden.
However, Itagaki became very public with his employer after the release of Ninja Gaiden II in 2008, which saw him leave the company and file a $ 1 million lawsuit over unpaid bonuses and ‘unrestricted statements’.
After the split, Itagaki founded Valhalla Game Studios, the developer behind the critically acclaimed Wii U “href =” https://www.videogameschronicle.com/platforms/nintendo/wiiu/ “> Wii U title Devil’s Third. In 2017 , he resigns from his position as director and assumes an advisory role.
Devil’s Third was a rare departure from Xbox platforms for Itagaki, but even the game was originally intended to be an Xbox 360 exclusive, according to the designer, with Xbox Game Studios (Microsoft) “href =” https: // www.videogameschronicle. com / companies / microsoft / “> Microsoft said it had partially funded Valhalla’s formation. Due to the company’s move to focus on Kinect, Devil’s Third eventually switched to THQ (and later, Nintendo” href = “https: // www. videogameschronicle.com/platforms/nintendo /”> Nintendo).
Thanks to the original Xbox hits Dead or Alive 3 and Ninja Gaiden, Itagaki remains a key figure in the platform’s history and recently contributed to a Bloomberg feature that makes Xbox’s 20de anniversary.
Itagaki’s Facebook comments came from an unedited interview he originally submitted for the feature, and according to the designer, he would not have made a contribution if the large number of Xbox fans had not expected his next game.
Asked if he would consider it again with Microsoft in the future, Itagaki said he would be “honored” to work with his old partner.
‘I would start again with questions I asked [original Xbox designer] Seamus [Blackley] two decades ago, ”he wrote. “Then I asked him, ‘Are you confident you’ll beat PS2? “and he answered,” Yes. Xbox is called Project Midway and I get the upper hand with it. ‘
‘That’s why I trust him and actually create Xbox exclusive games for about ten years. 20 years have passed since then, and I founded my own company, Itagaki Games, which is not Tecmo, nor is Valhalla. I know Microsoft is still aggressive. If they reach out to me, it will be an honor for me. ‘
Xbox has openly expressed a desire to acquire an Asian game developer, especially a Japanese studio.
According to a November 2020 Bloomberg report, Xbox continues talks with Japanese game developers, ‘big and small’, as its search for studio acquisitions continues in the country, with several Japanese companies privately indicating that Microsoft has been approached by them about the purchase of their businesses. .
Microsoft is making renewed efforts in Japan with its latest console launch. Xbox Series X | S “href =” https://www.videogameschronicle.com/platforms/xbox/scarlett/ “> Xbox Series X and S launched day-and-date with other areas on November 10 (compared to a year later with its previous console) and Xbox boss Phil Spencer “href =” https://www.videogameschronicle.com/people/phil-spencer/ “> Phil Spencer said he intends to make better provision for Japanese players in this console generation.