Ninja Gaiden director Tomonobu Itagaki has passed away

Video game developer Tomonobu Itagaki has passed away. He was 58 years old.

Itagaki was behind the revival of the Ninja Gaiden franchise in 2004. Additionally, he was the creator of Dead or Alive. On the Nintendo front, he directed the Wii U game Devil’s Third.

In a message posted on his Facebook page, Itagaki wrote:

“The light of my life is finally fading. The fact that this message has been posted means that the time has finally come. I am no longer in this world (I’m asking a loved one to make this final post). My life has been a series of battles. I kept winning. I’ve caused a lot of trouble, too. I’m proud to say that I followed my beliefs and fought to the end. I have no regrets. However, I’m filled with regret that I wasn’t able to deliver a new work to all my fans. I’m sorry. That’s just how it is. So it goes.”

Itagaki previously headed up Team Ninja when working on Ninja Gaiden. The studio issued the following statement today:

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.

Itagaki will be remembered for his many positive contributions to the video game industry. Our heart goes out to his family and friends at this time.