In the first decade of the 2000s, Tomonobu Itagaki was a major player in the video game industry. Between 2000 and 2008, he produced and/or directed 10 games, all of which were uniquely popular, with most from theDead or AliveandNinja Gaidenfranchises. Yet Itagaki released just one game between 2008 and now as a director, that beingDevil’s Third. It seems Itagaki is ready to get back into the grind, however. He’s now confirmed to have opened a new game studio.
Monday morning Itagaki announced the formation of his new studio, Itagaki Games. The announcement was made on Facebook, where he confirmed that he’s started the company with the intent of focusing on game creation once more. All that Itagaki shared beyond that is that Itagaki Games is not affiliated with Tecmo, which published hisDead or AliveandNinja Gaidengames, nor is it related to Valhalla Game Studios, which Itagaki co-founded and madeDevil’s Thirdwith.
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Itagaki also clarifies that he has no ties remaining withValhalla Game Studiosin general. He resigned from the studio in 2017 and has spent the years since teaching, fostering juniors. The formation of Itagaki Games represents his feelings regarding wanting to make a game again.
That’s all that’s currently known about the situation. The creator of theDead or Alivefighting game (and beach volleyball) franchise, as well as the reboot of theNinja Gaidenfranchise, wants to make games again. It’s unclear whetherItagaki Gameshas the funding to do so, or if it’s even begun to hire new employees. Regardless, given Itagaki’s history, it’s worth paying attention to what he plans to do going forward.
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