Tomonobu Itagaki, the lead director of the Dead or Alive fighting series and the Ninja Gaiden 3D revival, has died at age 58.
This news was confirmed in a Facebook post on Itagaki’s account, which included some parting words from the storied developer. The post said he had no regrets and stood by his beliefs, but apologized to his fans for not being able to produce more games.
Words I Leave Behind
The flame of my life is finally about to go out.
If this message has been posted, it means that the time has come. I am no longer in this world.
(This final post has been entrusted to someone dear to me.)
My life was a series of battles. And I kept on winning.
I know I caused trouble for many along the way.
But I followed my convictions and fought to the very end.
I have no regrets.
Only one thing weighs on me — I’m deeply sorry to all my fans that I couldn’t bring you a new work. I truly am.
That’s just how it is.
So it goes.
Katsuhiro Harada, the director of the Tekken franchise, posted a tribute to Itagaki on X, reflecting on their relationship and lamenting how young he was at the time of his passing.
“To think that he’s gone at just 58 years old,” Harada wrote. “Yes, everyone dies eventually …that’s inevitable. But you… isn’t it a bit too soon? Didn’t you say you were going to defeat me someday? Didn’t you come to my wedding, wearing your usual black leather jacket and sunglasses, and call me your comrade-in-arms? Didn’t you tell me to come to you whenever I was in trouble? I never even got the chance to consult you about anything.”
Itagaki founded Tecmo division Team Ninja in 1995, but left the company on bad terms in 2008 and formed Devil’s Third developer Valhalla Game Studios. The company shut down in 2021, after which he formed Itagaki Games that same year. As of his passing, Itagaki Games has yet to release its first project. Team Ninja posted its own tribute to Itagaki on its X account.
We are deeply saddened by the passing of Team NINJA's first leader, Tomonobu Itagaki.
We will carry on the philosophy and creativity that Itagaki-san began and continue to create games that many gamers will enjoy.
Our deepest condolences for his loss.From everyone at Team…
— Team NINJA (@TeamNINJAStudio) October 16, 2025
Thus far, Itagaki’s cause of death has not been publicly stated.
