I, Tomonobu Itagaki, hereby announce that on the 14th of May 2008 I filed a complaint in the Tokyo District Court against Tecmo Co., Ltd. for unpaid completion bonuses, and against the President of Tecmo, Yoshimi Yasuda, for such unlawful acts as unreasonable and disingenuous statements made towards me, claiming damages in total of 148 million yen. I also announce that this complaint was delivered to the defendants on May 22nd of the same year.
In addition, I hereby announce that I have today submitted a letter of resignation to Tecmo Co., Ltd. stating that I will resign as of the 1st of July, 2008.
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.
The conduct of Tecmo Co., Ltd. and its president Yoshimi Yasuda towards me has been unbefitting of a publicly-listed company.
I have filed this lawsuit with a strong intent to question the social responsibility of Tecmo Co., Ltd. and its President Yoshimi Yasuda, as well as condemning them for their unjust acts. Today, in addition to announcing the reasons for this lawsuit, I make clear my reasons for resigning.
To All Game Fans
I truly feel sorry to all the fans of the games I have made. NINJA GAIDEN 2, which will launch on the 3rd of June will be the last NINJA GAIDEN I will create. I will also never be able to make DEAD OR ALIVE 5. I regret the circumstances that have forced me to leave Tecmo, where I had worked for so many years, and I regret the disappointment this will cause my fans.
However, I can no longer continue to work with President Yoshimi Yasuda, a man who chooses not to honor promises even when he is able to do so.
I truly hope that nothing like this happens again in the future.
Tecmo Co., Ltd. Creative Officer
Leader, Team NINJA
Tomonobu Itagaki
Wow, quite a shocker I wonder where Itagaki will land next.
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: KDR_11k on June 03, 2008, 04:02:51 AM
My money is on forming an independent studio and shortly after getting into close ties to Sony.
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: Flames_of_chaos on June 03, 2008, 04:17:50 AM
I thought Itagaki dislikes Sony quite a bit. I have a feeling Microsoft is going to bite and snatch him up. But I really hope Itagaki joins Platinum Games I want to see a crazy game made by Mikami and Itagaki.
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: Kairon on June 03, 2008, 04:33:35 AM
Yeah, this is a prime opportunity for eith Sony or MS to STRIKE.
... or for Itagaki to make a Wii game.
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: Shift Key on June 03, 2008, 04:59:44 AM
So is Tecmo f*cked now? Pretty much the only thing of significance they have is DOA and Ninja Gaiden. Itagaki is like THE Tecmo guy.
Just because he's gone, doesn't mean they will stop making those games... they will just probably slip down the path of Sega and beat the franchises to death over time with mediocre entries.
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: KDR_11k on June 03, 2008, 02:48:36 PM
Tecmo also has Fatal Frame.
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: Dirk Temporo on June 03, 2008, 06:58:12 PM
I hope he gets called an oatmeal cookie in some official capacity.
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: Bill Aurion on June 03, 2008, 08:42:54 PM
As much as I'm looking forward to the 4th installment, it's hardly what I'd call a popular series...
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on June 03, 2008, 09:19:03 PM
Itagaki will get hired by Namco to work on the next Tekken game.
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: Djunknown on June 03, 2008, 11:13:37 PM
Quote
I will also never be able to make DEAD OR ALIVE 5
Depending on who you ask, this might be a good thing.... I guess that Code Cronus is a no go... ;)
Its hard to imagine him sounding so...official.
Though I find it odd that he's biting the hand that (kinda) fed him. Didn't Tecmo give him their best legal representation when that sexual harrasment suit popped up?
Whatever happens, I'm sure there'll be a place for an outspoken gambler...
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: Adrock on June 03, 2008, 11:20:25 PM
Maybe he'll get his chance to make Pikmin 3.
Tecmo is basically f-ed now. I wonder if Itagaki mentored anyone at Tecmo and even then, they don't have the fanbase or IPs to rely on.
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: RABicle on June 03, 2008, 11:20:47 PM
So are taking bets on how long it'll be before he's imprisoned for sexual assault?
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: KDR_11k on June 04, 2008, 01:42:44 AM
Though I find it odd that he's biting the hand that (kinda) fed him.
Sounds like the hand stopped feeding him.
Quote
Tecmo is basically f-ed now. I wonder if Itagaki mentored anyone at Tecmo and even then, they don't have the fanbase or IPs to rely on.
I think that's TBD, Tecmo does keep all the rights to the franchises Itagaki made (he only said HE won't make more DOA or NG games) and depending on the influence Itagaki had the quality of those might not even go down (then again it's hard to imagine DOA's quality going down).
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: GoldenPhoenix on June 04, 2008, 01:50:09 AM
Well the latest NG game seems to be a step back from the first 3D NG. SO perhaps it isn't a huge loss.
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on June 04, 2008, 02:27:24 AM
empty shells
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: NWR_insanolord on June 05, 2008, 02:20:09 AM
Should I be worried about the new Tecmo Bowl? Just after I start to get excited something like this happens.
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: KDR_11k on June 05, 2008, 02:41:57 AM
Was Itagaki involved with that?
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: NWR_insanolord on June 05, 2008, 03:19:13 AM
I just assumed he was, he's a big fan of American Football, and I remember reading an interview a while back where he said he still got e-mails requesting a new Tecmo Bowl and mentioning that he might do it.
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: Ceric on June 05, 2008, 08:02:29 PM
Now they can go back to focussing on making a high quality Monster Rancher Game.
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: Flames_of_chaos on June 07, 2008, 01:15:41 AM
Turns out Tomonobu Itagaki's imminent lawsuit might not be Tecmo's biggest problem after all. Within two days of the Ninja Gaiden developer's abrupt resignation from the company, Tecmo shares on the Tokyo Stock Exchange dropped rapidly.
Assurances that Team Ninja would remain (largely) intact apparently did not appease the stockholders. Shares dropped over 10% from Tuesday's closing of ¥1,102 (USD 10.40), to today's closing of ¥982 (USD 9.30). Not a good start to the company's new Itagaki-less lifestyle, to be sure. Source (http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/05/itagakis-departure-causes-tecmo-stock-plummet/)
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on June 07, 2008, 04:53:25 AM
Maybe they could team-up with Rare.
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: KDR_11k on June 07, 2008, 09:42:44 AM
That's 1.1 USD, not 2...
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: Flames_of_chaos on June 07, 2008, 12:07:40 PM
My bad but 10% is still a sizable impact.
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: KDR_11k on June 07, 2008, 01:08:32 PM
Yeah, usually the changes are sub-1%... Considering that drop I'm surprised it didn't crash to sub-1$
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: Flames_of_chaos on June 07, 2008, 02:31:40 PM
Wasn't Itagaki the main reason that Tecmo supported the Xbox so much? Could his leaving mean more development for other platformes?
Itagaki was a strong supporter of the Xbox, correct. He actually slammed the PS3 at launch too. Not sure what his departure would mean for seeing content on other systems, though.
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: Flames_of_chaos on June 08, 2008, 01:09:27 PM
Wasn't Itagaki the main reason that Tecmo supported the Xbox so much? Could his leaving mean more development for other platformes?
I think Itagaki was tired of how Sony treated 3rd parties during the PS2 era. It looks like Itagaki has a strong affinity towards the Xbox brand and Nintendo games(especially Pikmin and OOT)
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: Mikintosh on June 08, 2008, 03:19:40 PM
Yeah, this is a prime opportunity for eith Sony or MS to STRIKE.
... or for Itagaki to make a Wii game.
I see "Die or Survive 5" coming to the Wii relatively soon, though with less boob content. And Tecmo might as well fold it in at this point, no one's going to buy a Ninja Gaiden III now that the creator's been alienated.
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: KDR_11k on June 08, 2008, 03:42:08 PM
Did the 3d NGs see many sales anyway? I'd expect the difficulty to force that game into a niche.
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: Caliban on June 08, 2008, 09:01:17 PM
I read that they dropped 10%... ah here it is: http://kotaku.com/5013233/after-itagaki-announcement-tecmo-stock-price-drops
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: vudu on June 09, 2008, 02:34:48 PM
Did the 3d NGs see many sales anyway? I'd expect the difficulty to force that game into a niche.
NGII 25k first week in Japan, Ironically Ninja Gaiden Sigma that Itagaki doesn't like sold 48k its launch week in Japan.
Also apparently around 36 Team Ninja employees are leaving with Itagaki and are looking to sue for the same thing that Itagaki is.
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on June 16, 2008, 12:55:06 PM
It's part of Nintendo's elaborate plan to steal Fatal Frame from Tecmo and destroy an iconic Xbox supporter.
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: Ceric on June 16, 2008, 04:31:59 PM
Monster Rancher style Training Mechanics in Pokemon as well....
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: Flames_of_chaos on June 17, 2008, 09:12:59 AM
Now it gets even better!
The two top executives in charge of the labor union within Tecmo is suing a joint suit for unpaid wages. The suit was filed in the Tokyo District Court yesterday, and claims that Tecmo has falsified documents and accounting procedures in regards to employment statuses, overtime pay and various lapses in employment standards when filing documents for labor inspections.
The lawsuit represents the entire company's 300 employees' grievances as a whole, and there might be a 2nd or 3rd wave of lawsuits in regards to the overall employment issue.
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on June 17, 2008, 12:09:35 PM
Boob or Alive: Extreme Attorney
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: KDR_11k on June 17, 2008, 12:44:39 PM
claims that Tecmo has falsified documents and accounting procedures in regards to employment statuses, overtime pay and various lapses in employment standards when filing documents for labor inspections.
So regular videogame industry practices, then?
I think that's it for the Rygar Wii port...
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on June 17, 2008, 01:15:06 PM
Nintendo will publish it too.
See? Nintendo's got the hawdcaw games coming.
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: ThePerm on June 18, 2008, 08:47:05 PM
obvious nintendo should hire him with a cash incentive, that was you could never call nintendo kiddy again, and not much would change in the company other than having an itagaki division, but that prolly won't happpen. We know nintendo never spends a dime :P
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on June 18, 2008, 11:20:38 PM
Especially on storage.
Title: Re: Itagaki leaves Tecmo, sues Tecmo president for unpaid bonus.
Post by: BeautifulShy on July 23, 2008, 06:03:01 PM
OK some new news about this whole ordeal. Http://gonintendo.com/?p=50271
