In a shocking turn of events, Tomonobu Itagaki has left Tecmo and is suing the company. The head of Team Ninja and creator of Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive has some monetary disputes with the company. In part of the letter sent to the press, Itagaki writes:
Before the start of development on Dead or Alive 4, Tecmo Co., Ltd. had agreed to pay a completion bonus to me for this Xbox 360 title, which I produced. However, when the time came for the actual payment, Tecmo Co., Ltd. went against its previous agreement and refused payment. 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 addition, he made demeaning remarks about me to my subordinates and colleagues, causing me significant emotional distress and worsening my personal relationships and work environment. Thus, I have no choice but to resign from Tecmo Co., Ltd.
Ouch. Sounds like Tecmo bent him over a table on that one. He goes on to say that he’ll never be able to make another Ninja Gaiden or Dead or Alive game since Tecmo owns the franchises. Sad news for fans of both series.
No word yet on what Itagaki’s next move will be, but I’m sure it’ll involve sunglasses and beer. We’ll keep you posted on his whereabouts.
Read More »
October 23, 2007 – 5:59 pm
Our favorite anatomically incorrect seeker of justice is at it again. Chuckles, the pseudonym for the man whom we do not speak of, is filing a lawsuit against Besy Buy reports Gamepolitics. His rationale is that Best Buy is willingly selling mature rated video games to minors via their website because there is no identification checks and balances system. It is common knowledge that a minor cannot possess a credit card and using one is enough proof of age. I do not know who keeps funding this dipshit but I do know that Best Buy has a lot more money. Sometimes the rich do win and in this case, I hope they do.
Another tidbit from the “Department of Redundancy Department”, Chuckles has decided that he does endorse the ban on Manhunt 2, the once AO rated, now Mature, gore fest reports Gamepolitics. Does anyone really give a shit? Since when did not endorsing something matter? I don’t endorse wearing condoms, but does that in any way slight the condom selling world? Does Trojan care that I pull out and pray? Nope. Nor do we care. We will see Little Chuckles clad in a mustache and glasses trying to buy this game and eventually sue Rockstar. Its like the diplomat of some jerk ass country condemning what America does. We hear you dude, but we are not listening.
Sony is being sued by the Church of England over the usage of Manchester Cathedral in Resistance: Fall of Man. The Church is saying Sony did not ask for permission and is desecrating the image of the Cathedral by having people dying in the game in front of the place of worship.
Well, Sony responded to the allegations and craziness coming out of the Church. In a statement to CVG:
“Sony Computer Entertainment Europe is aware of the concerns expressed by the Bishop of Manchester and the Cathedral authorities about the use of Manchester Cathedral in the game Resistance: Fall of Man, and we naturally take their concerns very seriously.
“Resistance: Fall of Man is a fantasy science fiction game and is not based on reality. The game is set in an alternate and mythical version of Europe in the 1950s, in which the enemy are strange looking alien invaders seeking to destroy humanity.
“Whilst we believe that we have sought and received all permissions necessary for the creation of the game, we will be contacting the Cathedral authorities in order to better understand their concerns in more detail.”
Sony seems just as confused as we are about this whole ordeal. I’m sure we’ll be hearing more soon. It sounds like a big publicity stunt by the Church of England.
