This morning, October 16, 2025, reports surfaced of the death of Tomonobu Itagaki, the creator of the Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden series.
The developer bid farewell to fans via Facebook*, where his pre-written message was published. Itagaki asked a close friend to post the text after his death.
In the post, he noted that his whole life had been a struggle, but despite the difficulties, he remained true to his convictions. The developer also apologized to fans, writing that he was sorry he could no longer create new games for them.
One of the last projects of the 58-year-old Itagaki was the opening of his own studio, Itagaki Games, in January 2021. But already in October 2024, reports appeared in the Japanese press about the company's financial problems, which cast doubt on the future of the studio.
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* — a product of Meta, which has been recognized as an extremist and terrorist organization and is banned in the Russian Federation
