"I am bald, but I am not gay."

Thanks for sharing? Perhaps Kamiya was making some off-handed remark or whatever — he did say he was "sleepy". Unfortunately, Kotaku only has a summary of Kamiya's comments that has been floating around the Japanese internet and thus don't know the full context, which could better explain his statement.

The majority of the comments are concerned with the actual game: "For the opponent, dodging attacks is more humiliating than blocking them." He also talks about how blocking already means you've turned a win-lose into a lose.

One of the main mechanics for Bayonetta is dodging attacks.

Some on the Japanese internet point out that Kamiya also seems to be revisiting his feud with former Team Ninja lead Ninja Tomonobu Itagaki. "It's a huge mistake to think like an idiot that big breasts on women seem erotic." Itagaki is known for his chesty characters in games like Dead or Alive.

The Kamiya vs. Itagaki has been ongoing with Itagaki recommending laser-eye surgery for Kamiya, and Kamiya saying that Itagaki's Ninja Gaiden didn't have "the power" to pull him in.

Previously, Itagaki also said, "My daughter tried playing Okami, and she got sick of it pretty quickly — and I got pretty sick of it, too... So I heard Kamiya said something about the action genre not moving forward in eight years. Can you tell me more about that? ...Was he asleep for eight years?"

The Japanese internet seems to believe that Kamiya's recently comment that he's "sleepy" is in reference to this Itagaki remark. Oh the drama, the drama.

ゲームクリエイターの神谷氏と板垣氏の抗争が本格化してきた件について [はちま起稿] [Pic]

Itagaki has kept a relatively low profile since leaving Tecmo, working with his new company Tokyo Vikings and agreeing to only to interviews here and there.

Itagaki is upbeat and opinionated as ever, talking about a range of topics and showing us pictures of missiles. And who doesn't love pictures of missiles?

While Itagaki was tight lipped about what he and his team were working on, he did express an interest in military weaponry (missiles!). Back in May 2008, he told Kotaku that he was interested in doing something "totally new, completely unrelated to anything I've done before. Not any part of any existing franchises."

As we previously reported, Itagaki said what he'd like to do is work on another action title or perhaps a war-themed game, perhaps something set in the Pacific Theater during World War II.

"I think the Pacific theater of World War II is a interesting topic," he said in 2008. "I think it would be cool to work with an American developer and do a game based on the Pacific Theater." When Kotaku asked during that interview how long he had been thinking about doing such a title, Itagaki said it was something he came up with during our short interview. "I'm interested in that period of time, for my generation, that was an event that influenced us more than anything else," he said at the time. "I think that would be an interesting topic to explore."

That was 2008, this is now, a year later. Our 2009 Tokyo Game Show interview with Itagaki below:

Kotaku: It's good to see you again, Itagaki-san.
Itagaki: You too. How have you been?
Kotaku: Pretty good, thanks. So first let me ask you what you thought of our recent news story.
Itagaki: Which story?
Kotaku: That Tecmo had been falsely editing the Team Ninja entry on Wikipedia, and it became pretty big news.
Itagaki: Editing, you say?
Kotaku: Yeah, they apparently deleted sections about you and your former team members.
Itagaki: I don't really know what the point is in doing something like that, but hey, I'm still here. Does editing Wikipedia change the world or something?
Kotaku: That's a good question.
Itagaki: We live in a convenient day and age, but trust me, nothing's that convenient. They should find better things to do with their time.
Kotaku: Curious to know what your opinion is on the current state of the Japanese game industry?
Itagaki: I think that, in time, it will end up much like the Japanese film industry, you know?
Kotaku: What do you mean that it's like the Japanese film industry?
Itagaki: I mean it will become similar in terms of its competitiveness in mass markets, its ability to raise funds, and its technological prowess. I mean, Kojima-san at Konami has been talking about the technological side of the issue for quite some time now, hasn't he?
Kotaku: So, are you saying that the Japanese game industry is heading towards a decline?
Itagaki: Whether it goes into a major decline or not will depend on the publishers and game creators here in Japan. There's no point in traveling the same path that Japan did 400 years ago, after all.
Kotaku: What do you mean by 400 years ago?
Itagaki: I'm talking about sakoku, the policy in which Japan closed its borders to the outside world. What the industry is doing right now is just a modern form of sakoku. What I'm trying to get at is that you've got to be an Earthling first, and a Japanese second.
Kotaku: Are there any Japanese films in particular that you like?
Itagaki: Yesterday I saw Departures on TV. I thought that the head of the funeral home was the main character's father, but after watching it I found out I was wrong (laughs). It was pretty interesting but I felt that the ending was lacking somewhat. But, what's a Japanese movie I like? I'm particularly fond of Brother by Takeshi Kitano — that's a great film.
Kotaku: What about games, what games have you played recently that you thought were fun or not so fun?
Itagaki: Sandy from the new Dragon Quest made me want to take the DS and snap the damn thing in half (laughs). Looks like the game is pretty popular amongst my friends, though.
Kotaku: What have you been doing since you quit Tecmo?
Itagaki: I've been taking photographs, designing games — you know, the usual. The other day I went to Mt. Fuji and took some pictures of the Japanese Army. It was a 24-hour forced march so I'm pretty tired though! (laughs)
(top photo)
This was taken at the moment a Type-90 battle tank fired its main cannon.
(bottom photo)
Here's the launching of rocket artillery.
Kotaku: Wow, these are pretty impressive.
Itagaki: Yeah, there is nothing like the real thing. This is no video game.
Kotaku: Do these have anything to do with your next games?
Itagaki: I don't spend even a second on anything that I don't have an interest in.
Kotaku: What do you think about the feature in Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 that allows players to control characters' chest movements with the SIXAXIS?
Itagaki: What the hell...?
Kotaku: When you shake the controller forcefully, the female characters' chests bounce. What do you think of that?
Itagaki: Well, it certainly is unique... (laughs)
Kotaku: What do you mean by "unique"?
Itagaki: Are those guys doing okay at home? I mean, I know Sigma 2's producer, Hayashi, just got married recently...
Kotaku: Well, we tend to think of breast bouncing mechanics as being a registered trademark of your games, Itagaki-san, so tell us, are you doing okay at home?
Itagaki: Don't worry, my wife is no pushover — trust me! (laughs)
Kotaku: How many team members do you have at Tokyo Vikings? Are there any ex-Tecmo staff?
Itagaki: What sort of stupid general would give his enemy information on his troop strength? You'd better go back and read up on Rommel, AKA "the Desert Fox."
Kotaku: Would you like to make another fighting game at some point?
Itagaki: I believe I created one possible example of a perfected fighting game 4 years ago. If someone else wants to make one, I say they go right ahead.
Kotaku: What genre of game would you like to make then?
Itagaki: If I were to tell you that it would ruin the surprise! Be patient just a little while longer.
Kotaku: Are you considering doing something for the Wii or DS?
Itagaki: I've made one for the DS, as you know. It wasn't a typical DS game, though, that's for sure. When you get right down to it, I'm not sure that I'm suited for portable games, you know?
Kotaku: Will you be at the Tokyo Game Show? I think your fans are waiting for you to announce your next project.
Itagaki: I'm really sorry to keep them waiting, but it's just not time to announce anything quite yet. My partners and I are working on quite a few bombshells at the moment.
Kotaku: So you'll drop those bombs somewhere? Where's your target?
Itagaki: You'll know once you see the explosions.

He's also back to fill the vacuum of Japanese game developer trash talk. From an excerpt of Itagaki interview with 1Up comes this bit about Platinum Games developer Hideki Kamiya, who is currently making Devil-May-Cry-in-heels action title Bayonetta:

1UP: What do you think about Bayonetta, as a game? Do you think Kamiya is right to follow the Devil May Cry formula so closely?

TI: If I made a similar game as a game I made in the company I quit, people would say, "What an idiot, can't he make anything else?" Well, that is more or less the opinion I have for, uh, that Bayo-something game.

1UP: What do you think of Bayonetta's character design? She's covered in hair.

TI: Covered in hair, is she? I dunno, Mr. Kamiya must have a lot going through his head. Well, in any case, I would first recommend laser eye surgery. I'm sure he's not that strapped for cash, right?

A bit of background: Bayonetta designer Hideki Kamiya stated previously that he had never played Itagaki's Ninja Gaiden because he said the game "didn't have the power" to pull him in.

Moving beyond the smack talk and Itagaki's recommendation that Kamiya get laser eye surgery if he's not strapped for cash (ouch), this chatter could provide clues regarding what the former Team Ninja lead ninja and his team are up to. Elsewhere in the interview, he says he's gotten tired of making games with girls that have enormous breasts and won't be making games with Aerosmith music anymore.

"I have to apologize to my fans, but since I won't be making Dead or Alive games," Itagaki explains, "I won't be using Aerosmith's music anymore. I want to send the deepest gratitude to Aerosmith and Steven Tyler. The power I needed to make DOA came from Aerosmith and the movie Armageddon."

So is it safe to assume for the sake of assuming that Itagaki is working on something different than his previous games, something light on the norgs and something free of Aerosmith?

Developer Interview: Itagaki Skewers the Competition [1Up via Sega Nerds]

That's because Itagaki can now trashtalk Tekken and whatever happens next in the Dead or Alive series, given his new position at a game development start up that's comprised of more ex-Team Ninja developers than you'd expect. Itagaki and team tell 1UP that more than 22 developers jumped ship from the Ninja Gaiden team after a disagreement with Tecmo management that saw team members heading for the door.

So what's Itagaki and crew up to now? Well, he and top level staff formerly of Team Ninja—Hiroaki Matsui, Katsunori Ehara, Yoshifuru Okamoto—are already working on something under the unofficial "Tokyo Vikings" company name. That something we won't see for awhile, as Itagaki says they won't be showcasing their product at this year's E3.

But they have a lot to say. Check out the full interview for hints about what they have planned.

Tokyo Vikings: Tomonobu Itagaki and Crew Return With a New Team and Xbox 360 Game [1UP]

New Team Ninja lead ninja Yosuke Hayashi hinted to website Kikizo that there very well could be more in store for Ninja Gaiden. "Regardless of what Itagaki-san said before," Hayashi said, "in time, what the consumers, the gamers are looking for is going to be the next chapter — the future of an outstanding series."

And that future is? Hayashi kept his cards close to his vest, but added, "We feel that we're in a position of being able to make that call, and to provide pure entertainment that's going to be enjoyed by action gamers and our fans. That calling is already there — we feel it, and therefore we will continue to work towards a future for the series."

Just promise us one thing: You'll act surprised when Tecmo announces Ninja Gaiden III, IV and V. Oh, don't forget to get up in around about those future PS3-only Ninja Gaiden Black ports.

Hayashi Interview [Kikizo]

Tomonobu Itagaki has always been critical of Sigma. He even said that a Ninja Gaiden II Sigma version would be a "loss of face."

Responding publicly to Itagaki's criticism for the first time since the Team Ninja leader left Tecmo, Hayashi said, "There's nothing I'd put against the Sigma series. The face has changed, the leader [of Team Ninja] has changed, the so-called creator has left..." But it's still Ninja Gaiden, he said. "The DNA is there."

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 picks up where Sigma left off and will be an "encapsulation" of the entire Ninja Gaiden series from Xbox to DS. Hayashi hopes to keep the series going even beyond that with downloadable content for the PS3 (but not the 360, sorry) and possibly future games.

"We're confident," Hayashi said of Sigma 2. "This will be the ultimate package, the one you will always remember."

Hayashi's also confident that he can fill the void left by Itagaki: "I'll prove it with the game," he said, which sounded way more badass in Japanese. Later, in English, he told me he was the boss of Team Ninja now.

You go, boy. Don't let them tell you that you can't be The Man just because you don't wear Bono shades. Go forth and make the best PS3 port/upgrade ever!

I've never played Ninja Gaiden, and to be honest, I'm not that interested.

The quality that gets you interested in something is that you feel something for them. Like on TV, or a movie, or a song, or whatever. You just feel something, and you get pulled into it, and then that's how you pick something up. But Ninja Gaiden just didn't have that power, so that's why I wasn't interested in it.

These Japanese developers, they're like an all-male soap opera. Stay tuned for next week's episode, where Keiji Inafune calls Miyamoto a "total bitch".

Devil May Cry Creator 'Not Interested' in Ninja Gaiden [1UP]

One more thing I would add is that I don't think that developing for the PS3 is hard at all. It was much harder developing for the Famicom. It's true. I mean, give someone who's developing for the PS3 a Famicom and see if they can make a game for it. They won't be able to. Yeah, that'll prove it. We'll bet a drink on it.

You know shit is serious when Itagaki starts betting drinks.

Wanted Dead or Alive: Tomonobu Itagaki's first interview since going underground [1UP]

Yasuda has been at the center of the Itagaki vs. Tecmo legal suit. Dead or Alive creator Tomonobu Itagaki is suing for unpaid DoA 4 wages. These were "special incentive" wages that Itagaki claims were agreed to by the former Tecmo president and the board of directors, but the current president is claiming these "special incentive" wages were made single-handedly by the former president and not approved by the Tecmo board.

As we posted earlier, Itagaki left Tecmo and filed suit for unpaid bonuses. As Itagaki stated then, "President Yoshimi Yasuda chose not only to violate this agreement, but also turned defiant, telling me 'if you are dissatisfied with the decision not to pay the bonuses, either quit the company or sue it.'"

During the court proceedings, evidence was presented, such as this secret audio tape that we broke, which contained statements by Yasuda that seemed in direct conflict with his court claim that this "special incentives" proposal was made single-handedly by the former president and not approved by the Tecmo board. The recording helps support Itagaki's claim that his special incentive bonus was approved by Tecmo's former president and the board of directors, and that the current president knows this, contradicting himself.

Besides this, Yasuda was embroiled in a totally separate lawsuit filed by other Tecmo employees as well — Hiroaki Ozawa and co-plaintiff Tatsuki Tsunoda. Ozawa is the Tecmo Labor Union leader and Ninja Gaiden 2 lead engineer, while Tsunoda is the Ninja Gaiden 2 level design lead. According to the suit, the workers were illegally placed on a "flexible hours" work scheme where overtime was not paid.

Because of this dubious employment structure, overtime for the employees exceeded over 100 hours per month in unpaid overtime. The evidence the plaintiffs submitted in their suit seems to indicate that Yoshimi Yasuda falsified contracts relating to overtime work, illegally withholding payment of wages to 300 employees over the course of the past 2 years. Despite Yasuda’s direct involvement with this deception, he attempted to shift responsibility by claiming that this was the fault of the founder and former chairman of Tecmo, now deceased, stating he was told not to hold an election and just pick someone to head the Tecmo Labor Union.

Sounds like Kakihara has a lot of work ahead of him starting September 1st. Official press release below:

代表取締役の異動に関するお知らせ

当社は、平成20年８月20日開催の取締役会において、下記の通り代表取締役の異動について内定いたしましたのでお知らせいたします。

記

１．異動内容
新役職名 氏 名 旧役職名
代表取締役会長兼社長 柿原 康晴 代表取締役会長
辞任 安田 善巳 代表取締役社長

（２）異動の理由
本日開催の取締役会において、安田代表取締役社長より、一身上の都合により代表取締役
社長並びに取締役を辞任したい旨の申し出があり、取締役会はこれを受理いたしました。

（３）異動予定日
平成20年９月１日

（４）新任代表取締役会長兼社長の氏名、略歴
新役職名 代表取締役会長兼社長
氏 名 柿原 康晴（かきはら やすはる）
生年月日 昭和45年12月30日（38歳）
出 身 地 千葉県
略 歴 平成元年３月 渋谷教育学園幕張高等学校卒業
平成11年３月 獨協医科大学卒業
平成11年５月 獨協医科大学附属病院第２外科 臨床研修医として勤務
平成12年10月 （財）癌研究会附属病院勤務臨床研修医として勤務
平成13年５月 獨協医科大学附属病院第２外科勤務
平成13年６月 当社監査役に就任
平成16年６月 当社取締役に就任
平成18年３月 当社取締役退任
平成18年３月 テクモウェーブ株式会社取締役に就任（現任）
平成18年10月 当社経営委員会委員長に就任
平成19年３月 当社代表取締役会長（現任）

以 上

My daughter tried playing Okami, and she got sick of it pretty quickly-and I got pretty sick of it, too. And I'm not out to make this an Okami bashing session or anything — I'm just saying that it didn't feel like it had much of a spirit. It's unique, but it's not a powerful fighter plane... So I heard Kamiya said something about the action genre not moving forward in eight years. Can you tell me more about that?

Apparently, Kamiya said the action genre hasn't moved forward since the release of the first Devil May Cry. To which Itagaki replied:

Was he asleep for eight years? ...There are two types of people out there who like to make controversial, splashy comments. There are those who are truly outspoken, and there are those who are just trying to cover up for there weaknesses. We have a saying here in Japan — "the weaker dog barks more" — and I sincerely also like to remind him to make sure to stay awake for the next years.

Knives out! Oh, and as a special bonus, Itagaki also offered sound-bytes on why he makes Xbox 360 games:

First of al, I think that the PS3 was an attempt by [former Sony chairman and CEO Ken] Kutaragi to create a uniquely Japanese computer to take on the intel standard; in that sense, I have a lot of respect for him. But to me, having a fighter that's powerful and easy to pilot makes it easy to win. That's my main goal, and thats why I choose to pilot 360.

...and on what he's been up to lately:

I've been taking pictures, working on my model trains, drinking, of course, and gambling. And that's what things have been lately. But you know me — I'm not just going to sit back. No, I'm definitely going to make something very soon. The great, wide expanse of the skies awaits.

Wow, Itagaki is into model trains. Did not know that. I guess you really do learn something new everyday.

Thanks dmitsuki for the tip!

We've posted all the documentation Tomonobu Itagaki submitted into evidence during the second round of arguments. Itagaki claims he has even more evidence, going as far as stating: "I am prepared to reveal this evidence as the need arises for the sake of greater justice." The evidence submitted earlier today after the jump. Heads up as there's lots of big images ready to suck up your bandwidth — and they're all in Japanese.

This contract, dated March 4th 2005, covers "special incentives" for Dead or Alive 4. The "special incentives" program was proposed by the former president of Tecmo (the president before current president Yoshimi Yasuda) where all employees would receive a certain percentage of the profits from a big-selling game. The profit points would be distributed among members of the team with the highest share going to the senior employees. In the DoA4 contract Itagaki submitted, it clearly states that he is entitled to 6.66 percent of the earned profits from the project.

In the statement Itagaki released today, he has now increased his claim for damages against Tecmo from the previously announced figure of 148,000,000 yen to 164,000,095 yen. In American money, that's an increase from $1.38 million to $1.53 million. The claim increase Itagaki is asking for simply reflects the wages he should have earned at the end of this June had he not been fired by the company.

This is the document Tecmo submitted to withdrawal its four-point gag order submission. As Itagaki says in his statement, "From the outset, the claims made in this petition had changed repeatedly in a short period of time, causing me to wonder what they would claim next; apparently Tecmo and its president Yoshimi Yasuda finally realized that their petition would most likely be denied, and before the fourth round of debates regarding its merit were held the claim was withdrawn unexpectedly." Continuing "it is clear that this self-centered behavior by Tecmo Co. Ltd. and its president Yoshimi Yasuda, from the filing of the petition to its subsequent withdrawal, was an attempt to increase my own personal burden in both time and funds needed to combat the petition."

This is the signed affidavit from Ninja Gaiden II producer Yoshifuru Okamoto. Okamoto explains that he recorded a conversation with Tecmo president Yoshimi Yasuda on January 22nd of this year. The reason for this, Okamoto explains, is that Yasuda had harassed him, calling him names.

Above is the audio transcript of the conversation between President Yasuda and Okamoto. In the transcript, Yasuda admits that the special bonus incentive had in fact been submitted and approved by the board of directors before he became president and while he was still section director. Yasuda says that the special incentive scheme had been discussed and a ringi (a type of Japanese corporate approval form) had been signed by the board of directors.

On page 2 of this transcript, when Okamoto says the special incentive wasn't voted on (like Yasuda now claims), Yasuda then replied, 取締役会決議と稟議が起きているんだよ. That literally translates to "The board of directors did vote on it and a ringi was signed." This is in direct conflict with Yasuda's court claim that this "special incentives" proposal was made single-handedly by the former president and not approved by the Tecmo board. Therefore, it is invalid, states Yasuda. The recording helps support Itagaki's claim that this special incentive bonus was approved by Tecmo's former president and the board of directors, and that the current president knows this.

Also, during the conversation, Yasuda called Itagaki a "money grubber" because of the developer's desire to be paid incentives that had been approved by Tecmo. Yet in court, Yasuda has denied calling Itagaki a "money grubber." In Itagaki's statement, the game designer says that this audio recording is only a small part of concrete evidence he has. "I am prepared to reveal this evidence as the need arises for the sake of greater justice," Itagaki states.

In the second round of oral arguments for the Itagaki vs. Tecmo suit, Dead or Alive creator Tomonobu Itagaki submitted evidence that included an affidavit from Ninja Gaiden II producer Yoshifuru Okamoto, a contract from 2005 that seems to clearly state terms of the Dead or Alive 4 bonus and a voice recording of Tecmo president Yoshimi Yasuda. Itagaki is suing Tecmo over unpaid DoA4 wages.

Kotaku obtained copies of both the secret recording and the contract and translated both for this story.

The contract, dated March 4th 2005, covers "special incentives" for Dead or Alive 4. The "special incentives" program was proposed by the former president of Tecmo (the president before current president Yoshimi Yasuda) where all employees would receive a certain percentage of the profits from a big-selling game. The profit points would be distributed among members of the team with the highest share going to the senior employees. In the DoA4 contract Itagaki submitted, it clearly states that he is entitled to 6.66 percent of the earned profits from the project.

On January 22nd of this year, Ninja Gaiden II producer Yoshifuru Okamoto taped a conversation with president Yasuda. Why was the producer of Ninja Gaiden II recording conversations with the president of Tecmo? According to Okamoto's affidavit, Yasuda had continually harassed him, calling him an "idiot", stating he was "no good" and saying that Okamoto "had no class." Okamoto claims that he asked for a meeting with Yasuda so that he could understand why he was so negative towards him. During this meeting, Okamoto secretly recorded their conversation. (Note: Okamoto has since left the company and had been contemplating doing so for some time.)

And during this meeting, current president Yasuda admits that the special bonus incentive had in fact been submitted and approved by the board of directors before he became president and while he was still section director. Yasuda says that the special incentive scheme had been discussed and a ringi (a type of Japanese corporate approval form) had been signed by the board of directors. This is in direct conflict with Yasuda's court claim that this "special incentives" proposal was made single-handedly by the former president and not approved by the Tecmo board. Therefore, it is invalid. The recording helps support Itagaki's claim that this special incentive bonus was approved by Tecmo's former president and the board of directors, and that the current president knows this.

Also, during the conversation, Yasuda called Itagaki a "money grubber" because of the developer's desire to be paid incentives that had been approved by Tecmo. Yet in court, Yasuda has denied calling Itagaki a "money grubber." In Itagaki's statement, the game designer says that this audio recording is only a small part of concrete evidence he has. "I am prepared to reveal this evidence as the need arises for the sake of greater justice," Itagaki states.

We have contacted both Itagaki's representatives and Tecmo for comment on the story.

This morning about 10:00 a.m. Tokyo Time, the second round of oral arguments for the Itagaki vs. Tecmo case commenced. As we broke early last month, Dead or Alive creator Tomonobu Itagaki left Tecmo and filed suit for unpaid bonuses. As Itagaki stated then, "President Yoshimi Yasuda chose not only to violate this agreement, but also turned defiant, telling me 'if you are dissatisfied with the decision not to pay the bonuses, either quit the company or sue it.'"

In a statement Itagaki released today, he has now increased his claim for damages against Tecmo from the previously announced figure of 148,000,000 yen to 164,000,095 yen. In American money, that's an increase from $1.38 million to $1.53 million. The reason for the increase is due to new developments in the case Itagaki revealed today.

In the statement Itagaki released in early June, he announced that he would be leaving Tecmo on July 1st. However, today it came to light that Itagaki was actually fired from Tecmo on June 18th — only weeks after he announced the suit. It's obviously possible to assume this termination was in retaliation to the lawsuit over bonuses he claimed he deserved. What's more, this preemptive act on Tecmo's part could also be seen as a way for the company to get out of paying Itagaki his fixed summer bonus and yearly incentives. According to Itagaki's statement released today, those were to be paid on June 30th. They of course were not.

Apparently, no reason was given for Itagaki's termination, and according to him, he was "terminated without reasonable cause." The claim increase Itagaki is asking for simply reflects the wages he should have earned at the end of this June had he not been fired by the company. Under Japanese law, Itagaki can also claim 14.6 percent per year back interest for the Dead or Alive 4 unpaid wages and bonuses. Itagaki has said he plans to do so.

Remember that four point gag-order Tecmo tried to slap Itagaki with? The company had simply filed for a gag-order, and it wasn't yet granted and didn't actually go into effect. Today as the second round of oral arguments for the Itagaki vs. Tecmo case commenced in which Dead or Alive creator Tomonobu Itagaki is suing over supposed unpaid wages, it was revealed that Tecmo had already rescinded the gag-order on July 7th. But, did Tecmo publicly announce that it was withdrawing the gag-order filing?

Under Japanese law, the plaintiff does have the right to withdraw filing for a gag-order at anytime. In a statement released today, Itagaki said he wanted to give Tecmo a chance to announce that it had in fact withdrawn the gag-order. Two weeks passed, and Itagaki included Tecmo's gag-order withdrawal in the evidence he submitted for today's arguments. According to Itagaki, he regrets that it was he (and not Tecmo) who had to make this publicly known, but he states he did that so all the facts were known publicly.

Itagaki speculates that Tecmo withdrew the petition because the company knew it would be shot down and wanted to avoid the bad publicity. As Itagaki says in his statement:

From the outset, the claims made in this petition had changed repeatedly in a short period of time, causing me to wonder what they would claim next; apparently Tecmo and its president Yoshimi Yasuda finally realized that their petition would most likely be denied, and before the fourth round of debates regarding its merit were held the claim was withdrawn unexpectedly.

Continuing "it is clear that this self-centered behavior by Tecmo Co. Ltd. and its president Yoshimi Yasuda, from the filing of the petition to its subsequent withdrawal, was an attempt to increase my own personal burden in both time and funds needed to combat the petition."

Stay tuned as we break down the rest of today's Itagaki V. Tecmo news this morning.

"I needed a sounding board," says Tokyo based localizer and former Team Ninja member Andrew Szymanski. "So it was great having Matt and Hiroko." Andrew, who joined Tecmo after college and recently left the company last September, did an excellent job localizing the first Ninja Gaiden for the Xbox, but felt it was somewhat stilted. If game development is a group effort, why should localization be solitary? He was able to convince Tecmo and Microsoft to let him bring in Matt and Hiroko for the NGII localization.

It was a reunion of sorts as the trio had previously worked on Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword and Dead or Alive Xtreme 2. "One of the things that helped me convince the higher ups," recalls Andrew, "was that Matt and Hiroko both are authors and write books together.” Both are best known for titles like Yokai Attack! or Hello, Please!. “For localization, your skill at writing English is actually more important than your Japanese," says Matt. If you don't know a Japanese word, you can always look it up or ask someone. But if you can't string together a sentence, you can always, no wait, you're screwed.

Team Ninja knew Ninja Gaiden II wasn’t aimed strictly at the Japanese market. "The main target for Ninja Gaiden II was the West," says Andrew. “The market is global, and Japan is more global than ever before.” And since it’s a game targeted for a Western audience, it needed to be written in a Western language: English. The game’s story was conceived by Ninja Gaiden II’s director Hiroaki Matsui in highly detailed, manga-like stories boards.

But where did former Team Ninja lead ninja Tomonobu Itagaki factor in? According to Andrew: "Itagaki-san's main responsibilities are, of course, overseeing the development of the whole game, but he is often focused on combat design, enemy AI, level design, and other key gameplay elements. He trusts Matsui-san implicitly for art and story direction, and thus we mainly worked with Matsui-san to develop the dialogue, worldview, and key story points. He also relies on my judgement when it comes to the localization and the entire English version of the game as a whole, so it was great having the freedom and support to bring on Matt and Hiroko and create an English script that we were all proud of. It goes without saying that Itagaki-san has final say over everything that goes into the retail game, and it was a tremendously satisfying feeling to hear his words of praise when it came to our finished voiceovers and other localized assets. It was great seeing him say ‘Submit, or die!’ in English as he watched the cutscenes!"
At work and after work over bottomless beers, Matsui gave Andrew very vivid instructions of how he envisioned Ninja Gaiden II’s story and world. “These Team Ninja guys live and breathe this stuff,” says Andrew. “So much stuff happens outside the office because they’re always thinking about whatever they’re working on.” Andrew then typed up a rough English draft. Andrew then reconvened with Hiroko and Matt to punch up the first draft — which was also in English. Meaning? That the script Team Ninja was working from was in English and all the motion capture and voice acting was in English.

Even though it was being written in English, the trio were striving to make sure it stayed in line of what a ninja would actually say. Explains Andrew, “The question we always asked ourselves was ‘Is this ninjy?’” Basically, would a ninja actually say this. Continuing, he adds, “So I ninja would never say ‘I am going to kill you.’ Instead, a ninja would says, ‘You will be the bloostains on my blade.’ That’s ninjy.” Andrew, Matt and Hiroko weren't simply pulling out a dictionary and digging through to find words that “match”, but rather, entrenching themselves in the game from head to toe and back and again. “The first rule of localization,” says Andrew, “is to integrate localization into the development process.” But this wasn’t *just* localization — Ninja Gaiden II was something else entirely, somewhere between translation, collaboration and straight-up writing.
Ninja Gaiden II is the game as Team Ninja conceived it — no compromises. “It turned out exactly the way we wanted,” says Andrew. Team Ninja’s plan, the original impetus, was to create a throw-back — you know, a spiritual successor to something you would’ve played on the Nintendo Entertainment System. “This is a game where ninjas fight dinosaurs,” says Andy. “If you can’t have fun with that, where can you?”

"The hardest projects I've worked on have been the ones where the client doesn't appreciate the value of a good translation." says Hiroko. "Or ones where the contribution of a native Japanese speaker to the English version isn't appreciated, which happened more often in the early days. The easiest ones are the projects where the dev team welcomes us in as part of the process, because the closer the you can work with the people who designed the game, the smoother the whole process goes."

No matter how good your localization skills are, nothing can compare to working directly with the team that made the game to ensure that their vision makes it to gamers outside Japan. That's exactly what happened with Ninja Gaiden II. If any of the localizers had questions about what the developers originally intended, then Hiroko and Matt could immediately turn to Andrew. If Matt or Andrew had any questions about the intricacies of Japanese culture or nuances, they could refer to Hiroko. “It's so rare that a native Japanese speaker confronts an English speaker about their English translation,” says Matt. “I'm not talking about errors, necessarily, but more like nuance.” You know, the stuff between the lines, not on the page. The ninjy.

[Andrew, Itagaki Pic]

Something else to keep in mind: Earlier we reported that Tecmo slapped Itagaki with a gag-order, meaning that one had been filed — as of course there are no Japanese laws to prevent Tecmo from filing for that! However, a judge has yet to sign off on this gag-order for it to actually be in effect. Since this hasn't yet happened, the gag-order is, well, not in effect. What's more, that gag-order motion may very well be tossed out of court.

Itagaki vs Tecmo [IT Media]

Game developer Tecmo has a request for journalists.

Sections of the Western media are running a rumor that large numbers of our staff plan on leaving the company over salary issues, and it is regrettable that this inaccurate news is being propagated, fueling uneasiness among our developers.

We Tecmo are currently focused on bringing high quality products to our customers. Doing our best to concentrate under the circumstances, we hope to bring more enjoyable products to the marketplace.

We have exciting announcements regarding game launches planned for the future. Understanding of the work we are doing and consideration of fairness is asked regarding the treatment of unconfirmed information, as well as how it affects the actual staff. We thank everyone for their understanding.

Recent Press Releases [Tecmo]

According to Tecmo, only two employees have filed a lawsuit against the company, as previously reported. Tecmo claims that it notified "all affected employees that they would be appropriately compensated and is currently in the process of resolving the matter." It also goes on record as saying that reports that it had withheld information from shareholders regarding the lawsuit filed by Itagaki were, in short, hogwash.

Apparently, recent reporting on Tecmo's legal kerfuffle has caused "unrest" amongst company staffers, so the publisher and developer has asked us to "handle news reports concerning the above matters with care." Rest assured, Tecmo, that it is our policy to handle all news reports as if they were a brittle nest filled with the precious and fragile eggs of a hummingbird. Tecmo's full statement follows.

June 18, 2008

On and around June 15, 2008, various websites in the US reported a rumor about “dozens” of development staff members resigning and filing a lawsuit against Tecmo, LTD., following Tomonobu Itagaki’s departure from the company. The rumors are false and no such action is taking place at the company.

On June 16, 2008, two employees filed a lawsuit against Tecmo, LTD. with accusations of withholding overtime pay. Although a lawsuit was filed by the two employees, on April 1, 2008, Tecmo, LTD. did notify all affected employees that they would be appropriately compensated and is currently in the process of resolving the matter. There are several inaccurate reports stating that all 300 company employees are named in the lawsuit and the company would like to clarify that only two employees are involved in the suit.

In addition, there were reports that Tecmo, LTD., a publicly traded company on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, withheld information from its shareholders regarding the lawsuit filed in May 2008 by Tomonobu Itagaki. The company has observed the provisions defined by the Exchange and has released information accordingly and in a timely manner.

It is unfortunate that false and inaccurate reporting of our organization and employees’ actions have caused some unrest among our development staff members. Tecmo, LTD. would like to assure its partners and loyal fans that its teams continue to focus and work on several projects to be released and announced in the future. The company is committed to providing high quality, entertaining products for our fans around the world.

Your continued support of Tecmo, LTD. is appreciated and it is kindly asked that you handle news reports concerning the above matters with care.

Tecmo, LTD.

• Disclosing or leaking information regarding Tecmo's game software, sales, development or any other company secrets

• Using newspapers, magazines and the internet to criticize company software and company employees

• Obstructing the company's business through slanderous remarks to third parties

• Do not accept interviews regarding Tecmo or talk to the press about the company

This gag-order certainly seems in response to the statement Itagaki released to Kotaku and other outlets.

テクモ、板垣氏に対して仮処分を申請 [IT Media] [Pic]

テクモ社員、残業代求め提訴 [jiji via my game news flash]
テクモ労働組合の執行役員2名が未払賃金を求めて提訴 [Game Watch Impress]