Tomonobu Itagaki, founder of Team Ninja and a renowned Japanese game developer who has been hailed as the creator of Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden (2004), has passed away at the age of 58.
The disheartening news was shared in a posthumous Facebook post from the creator, which was set to be published after his death, with his close pal James Mielke also confirming his passing on Instagram and BlueSky.
Itagaki has left a prominent mark in the gaming world, especially with the Dead or Alive series, which first debuted in the arcades in 1996, as well as bringing back Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden series for Microsoft's Xbox console in 2004.
Fans all over the globe were left grieving as the original post was reshared and translated by Mielke on Instagram, reading, "The flame of my life is finally about to go out."
"If this message has been posted, that means the time has come - I am no longer in this world. (This final post has been entrusted to someone dear to me.)," the devastating message added.
Itagaki's last message continued, "My life was a constant battle. And I kept on winning. l also caused a lot of trouble along the way. I take pride in having fought through it all, following my own convictions."
"I have no regrets. I only feel deep sorrow that I couldn't deliver a new work to all my fans. That's just how it goes. So it goes."
Captioning the post, Mielke penned an emotional tribute, noting that he was honoured to be the developer's friend "who was more than a brother to me."
In the social media post, the co-founder of Tigertron revealed that Itagaki "suffered from a serious illness", and he remained by the creator's side for a long time and was with him "near the very end".
He concluded the ode, "You will always be my brother, Itagaki-san. Thank you for everything you’ve shared with me through the years. I owe so much to you. I will continue to honour you, however and whenever I can."
Tomonobu Itagaki worked at Tecmo for 16 years and parted ways in 2008 and later founded Valhalla Game Studios and Itagaki Games.
Tragically, his passing came just days before the release of Ninja Gaiden 4, a sequel to one of his most celebrated creations, though he was not involved in its development.
