Team Ninja Walks with Itagaki

Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive lead designer Tomonobu Itagaki is taking Team Ninja's top brass with him as he leaves Tecmo.

According to 1Up, thirty-six staffers from Ninja Gaiden developer Team Ninja will possibly be following their leader, Tomonobu Itagaki, out Tecmo's doors and to Japanese courts to file their own lawsuits. Each scorned team member will be filing a suit for unpaid bonuses owed for finished projects, complementing allegations Itagaki made upon his departure that he didn't receive his "completion bonus" for Dead or Alive 4.

"Team Ninja, known for its top-selling and critically acclaimed Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive franchises, is intact and, as a matter of fact, has several new projects already underway. Team Ninja is, more than ever, committed to producing compelling and cutting-edge games in order to maintain its reputation as a high-quality developer and to continue to receive the support of its loyal fans," said Tecmo.

If Team Ninja members resign in rumored numbers and lawsuits are served to Tecmo, the developer will be forced by Japanese law to disclose these suits to shareholders, more than likely causing stock prices to plummet. How many members of Team Ninja will even remain after the flood of resignations is unknown.

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Swear they should all leave and fuck Tecmo up. Most of Tecmo's revenue comes from Team Ninja so losing them would kill them. Hopefully they'll make a new company and start a new franchise since I'm getting sick of doa.

Assuming this is true, I just don't understand why any business would risk pissing off its best workers for the sake of a few dollars more. I guess I'll never be a businessman.

I hope every last one of them leaves and suis for all they're worth... but I REALLY hope they don't stop making video games... that team as an independent developer could make some really cool games

KamikazeSailor:
that team as an independent developer could make some really cool games

They could, but why break the habit of a lifetime?

@Saskwach: It makes no sense, business or otherwise. If this is really what's going on, I'm as baffled as you. There's hope for you yet! ;P

One thing that makes me wonder if there's anything to this or not, though, is that Itagaki is making public statements. Usually, neither side of a suit are allowed to speak so openly about allegations.

@Kamikaze: I bet they'd not have too much trouble getting financing/publisher.

Wry quips aside, I wonder if this is a show of solidarity by Team Ninja, or a cynical attempt by Itagaki to add some weight to his claims by appealing to their greed.

Looks like Itagaki has got some weight behind his allegations if so many other members of team ninja are willing to resign for the sake of what would probably be very little if they successfully sued Tecmo.

They are probably leaving because Tecmo threatened to fire the Real Dolls art director who consults on visual design for their games.

now the company will implode and we'll never know how badly they would have fucked up the Tecmo Bowl remake.