Dead or Alive and modern NINJA GAIDEN creator Tomonobu Itagaki has passed away at age 58. Before his passing, Tomonobu Itagaki entrusted a final message to someone he trusted dearly, and the message was shared on his official Facebook page for fans to read.
The message was translated in English below by Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada:
Words I Leave Behind
The flame of my life is finally about to go out.
If this message has been posted, it means that the time has come. I am no longer in this world.
(This final post has been entrusted to someone dear to me.)
My life was a series of battles. And I kept on winning.
I know I caused trouble for many along the way.
But I followed my convictions and fought to the very end.
I have no regrets.
Only one thing weighs on me — I’m deeply sorry to all my fans that I couldn’t bring you a new work. I truly am.
That’s just how it is.
So it goes.
Tomonobu Itagaki is best known for creating the Dead or Alive series and leading Team NINJA in its revival of the NINJA GAIDEN series. The creator left Koei Tecmo in 2008 and would later establish Valhalla Game Studios. Years after the completion of Devil’s Third for Nintendo Wii U, Itagaki left Valhalla Game Studios in 2017. Itagaki established Itagaki Games in January 2021 and later closed the studio in October 2024. Itagaki Production Co. Ltd, which was founded in September 2010, was later renamed to Itagaki Games in October 2024.
