810°

Rumor: Three Dozen Team Ninja Members Leaving With Itagaki

Departing devs also supposedly suing Tecmo.

In case you thought Team Ninja's former boss, Tomonobu Itagaki, was leaving game publisher Tecmo as a solo act of attrition, think again. If that act was a single shot across Tecmo's bow, here comes the fusillade. Word on the street is that key members of Team Ninja -- as many as three dozen or more -- are headed out the door as well, but that's not all. It seems that each one of the soon to be ex-ninjas will be serving Tecmo with a class-action lawsuit in regards to unpaid bonuses for completed games.

BIoodmask5813d ago (Edited 5813d ago )

that was what was going to happen. Itagaki said that the members of Team Ninja were 'his close friends.' I figured if Itagaki left they would follow. Now Itagaki will most likely form his own studio with his old crew and still make high quality titles.

And in the meantime Tecmo will turn into something like EA. If you offer bonuses you should pay them out, simple as that. It's the little guys who are working the long hours to get the projects done and are making less money. While the corporate bigwigs rake in the bonuses and take 3 month vacations.

BISHOP-BRASIL5813d ago

Agree with everything... aside from the high quality tittles!

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Really, the guy is good, NG is good, but he don't need and no way have the right to be such an @ss. Do you see Kojima (MG, ZOE, Snatcher), Myiamoto (Mario, Zelda), Yokoi (early Metroid), Mikami (Resident Evil), Sakaguchi (early FF), Igarashi (Castlevania) Kitase and Nomura (actual FF, Kingdom Hearts) acting like that?

But I just missed the focus, if the guy don't get paid, he have the right to complain, independently if he believe to be god or not.

Superfragilistic5813d ago

If this is true it directly contradicts Tecmo's claims that this was an isolated incident and that the rest of Team Ninja were hard at work on further sequel. It would perhaps also further justify Itagaki's decision.

I just hope MS picks them up and forms a new studio.

@mistertwoturbo

That was a bit ignorant! What about the stellar studios Ensemble, Turn 10 and the largely successful arcade developer Carbonated Games? And don't forget Mistwalker and Wingnut Interactive along with strong alliances with Silicon Knights, Epic and Bungie (amongst others). :)

Bleucrunch5813d ago

They can leave but they aint doing nothing so forget them.

HateBoy5812d ago

I don't care about any of that, all I want is people working on a patch for NG2 which a) removes levels 9-10, and b) improves the camera. So they better hire some new people fast!

These new people should also be capable of beginning work on NG2 "White" which will fix the above mentioned issues as well as add a couple of levels and making Muramasa and Joe Hayabusa playable.

@bishop: You can bet your ass all those guys are grade-A asses in private as well as Itagaki, they just hide it when they are in contact with the media. He (Itagaki) got his face sliced up by the ninja who inspired him to do NG and he doesn't care about anything anymore. o_O, here come a million fanboys!

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 5812d ago
Stryfeno15813d ago

Good for them...MS should step up and help them out because they had supported the Xbox brand from day one.

Sayai jin5813d ago

Well it seems that MS is in the drivers seat, now lets see if they make or break this. I would not doubt if they already have something lined up. Time will tell.

Game on...

meepmoopmeep5813d ago

agreed. MS should pick them up and make a 1st party dev studio with them. if the paperwork hasn't happened already.

Stryfeno15813d ago

I like to see what else they can do outside the NG and DOA ip. Team Ninja is a very talented group.

NG and DOA wont be the same without them.

mistertwoturbo5813d ago

Microsoft isn't that smart enough to start a first party developer. They'd rather drop another $50 million on DLC for something else.

Who knows, what if Itagaki starts his own production company if they win the lawsuit. That already would be an X360 exclusive company so either way it would be good for MS. But I just don't picture MS actually being the one that takes charge.

Xi5813d ago

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

they have a couple first party developers already, they recently let bungie go independent and incorporated fasa studio (they still own all original IP's for fasa though, and the halo ip, as well as pgr).

Seraphim5813d ago (Edited 5813d ago )

I'd expect that if they don't want independent MS would scoop them up and create a development house for them. And if they do want to be independent I'd imagine they'll somehow get MS to help fund them. Even as an independent studio it's obvious they'll be creating exclusive 360 titles. Maybe even branching out and creating something on the DS. Whatever it is you can count on anything they now do not coming to the Playstation...

But the biggest question is this. How do they now go about creating a new IP and more importantly selling it. Do they create a new action/adventure IP, and fighting IP to continue doing what they've done? Do they start from scratch and do something totally new and unique? And just how creative and successful can they be in making a new IP? We all Itagaki isn't the best of storytellers. Whatever he does I'm sure you can count on plenty of blood and boobs.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 5813d ago
Fatmanp5813d ago

I think MS need to get all of Team Ninja need to be picked up by MS and given a budget which will allow them to create a new IP to drive up the 360s appeal in Japan and bring more games with the production values of NG to the 360.

user8586215813d ago

either starting a new company or a gay pride parade

NinjaRyu5813d ago

I think I'll start talking one of your bubbles!

aaquib55813d ago

The last game they worked on was a 360 game...

JasonPC360PS3Wii5813d ago

Tt's ok though, you will just come back with a new account like all droids do.

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60°

How EA & Xbox Are Defining Gaming's Bleak Future

Xbox and EA have recently made baffling moves that define how bleak the future of the gaming industry is with major companies at the helm. Ryan Bates from "Last Word on Gaming" posits in this op-ed that maybe it's not ineptitude, but intention.

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60°

XCOM's Jake Solomon Q&A - Building a Narrative-Driven Life Sim Game at Midsummer Studios

XCOM and Marvel's Midnight Suns director Jake Solomon has founded a new studio to make a life sim game. Here's a new interview with him.

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350°

Microsoft's quest for short-term $$$ is doing long-term damage to Windows, Surface, Xbox, and beyond

Microsoft is pushing for no "red line" for what games could come to PlayStation, and it all revolves around Satya Nadella and CFO Amy Hood's plans to increase every department's margins.

Read Full Story >>
windowscentral.com
Brazz19h ago

"The plan to move Xbox games to other platforms is codenamed "Latitude" internally, and I know there's debate and unease at Microsoft about whether or not this is a good idea. More upcoming Microsoft-owned games slated for PlayStation are already being developed. At least for now, they're potentially obvious games you'd most likely expect. And yes, while it's true Microsoft is a prolific publisher on PlayStation already, it has typically revolved around specific franchises like Minecraft. From what I've heard, Microsoft is pushing for no "red line" for what games could come to PlayStation, and it all revolves around Satya Nadella and CFO Amy Hood's mandate to increase every department's margins. "

Yeah, they are going to kill Xbox hardware.

Xeofate17h ago

"Yeah, they are going to kill Xbox hardware."

It's for the best.

Quit stringing along xbox fans and screwing over PlayStation owners.

crazyCoconuts12h ago

Take good care of those Xboxes if you have 'em ...

outsider162412h ago

An Xbox game on a Playstation. Never in my years of gaming did i ever thought this was gonna happen.

jznrpg8h ago

It is dying anyway so doesn’t make much of a difference

VersusDMC7h ago

No way can they get rid of the hardware as probably 90% of game pass subscribers are hardware users.

Highly doubtful those users will move to PC or Cloud to subscribe there and the competition (Sony and Nin) will never have gamepass on their system.

If they want to keep the current subscribers, they need to keep releasing new hardware.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 7h ago
gold_drake18h ago

i think it will kill off the xbox brand. windows will be fine.

but there is and would be a chance that xbox might be killed off in the future. if they fail to make the money they put in. imo.

S2Killinit16h ago

They wont kill it, but they will go fully PC while keeping xbox as a brand, and go multiplatform for the most part. They will also work tirelessly to diminish console gaming’s importance.

PRIMORDUS13h ago

It would be best if Xbox goes the way of Sega, just make and publish games. I know I myself will not support them at all with buying games from them, you all can. 🙃

ChasterMies11h ago

The Xbox brand will live for the games. I don’t expect Microsoft to entirely drop out of gaming hardware. They make Surface tablets and laptops. They’ll make Xbox branded hardware for those that want it.

shadowT18h ago

"Microsoft is pushing for no "red line" for what games could come to PlayStation"

Forza and Starfield next?

Skuletor16h ago

Starfield would be no surprise and there's the rumor that it will come to Playstation after the Shattered Space DLC, Forza (along with Halo and Gears of War) I find less likely but I wouldn't be surprised if they eventually end up on PlayStation too, especially if Xbox give up on hardware and go the Sega route.

shinoff218316h ago

Not to worried about forza. I'd rather see others like what inxile and obsidian are working on. Starfield sounds like it needs more time in the oven so let it cook first imo. If starfield and it's a small if does release on ps it'll be in the fall around the time for dlc or right at the dlc and come packaged with it.

-Foxtrot17h ago

In the words of Phil Spencer when he was talking about Nintendo last year

“It's just taking a long time for Microsoft to see that their future exists off of their own hardware"

S2Killinit16h ago

Yup. MS are a cancer to console gaming.

Aloymetal15h ago

100%!!
I wonder what happened to that dude that was always here posting those court articles with cartoons about MS spending all those billions in studios. He suddenly disappeared, I guess he doesn't like bad news when the green brand is in trouble. No new articles from him as of late...

PRIMORDUS13h ago

Yup, and it's only going to keep spreading.

Outside_ofthe_Box13h ago

Phil Spencer's words always comes back to bite him lol

17h agoReplies(7)
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