Tomonobu Itagaki returns with new team, new game, same badass attitude

by David Hinkle { May 27th 2009 at 1:15PM }

During a recent interview with 1UP, ex-Tecmo employee and leather lover Tomonobu Itagaki (along with comrades Hiroaki Matsui, Katsunori Ehara, and Yoshifuru Okamoto) iterated that he is returning to gaming, and will be backed up by a brand new team on a project for a future game. Unfortunately, we won't see anything on this new game at next week's E3, although Itagaki did confirm he would be in attendance.

The new company is tentatively called "Tokyo Vikings" (how ... appropriate) and is largely comprised of ex-Team Ninja staff, including a majority of the folks who worked on Ninja Gaiden 2. Surprisingly, his new team even managed to snag some key character designers from Virtua Fighter 5.

Itagaki was overall pretty tight-lipped about the new team and its mystery project, but did confirm that it wouldn't be a fighting game, as Itagaki is sure he's hit the ceiling there with Dead or Alive 4. He wouldn't comment on whether it would be an Xbox 360 exclusive, or heading to other consoles such as the PS3, but his past affiliations with Microsoft might suggest a likely path for his future games.

Tags: hiroaki-matsui, japan, katsunori-ehara, koei, ninja-gaiden-2, team-ninja, tecmo, tecmo-koei, tokyo-vikings, tomonobu-itagaki, virtua-fighter-5, yoshifuru-okamoto

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

wages of sin @ May 27th 2009 1:18PM

I know many people don't like Itagaki or his games but I do and can't wait.

Gehodra @ May 27th 2009 2:34PM

You weren't bothered by DOA4 or NG2? Those ones are making me cautious of his future stuff. I'll try to keep an open mind though.

PeacefulOutrage @ May 28th 2009 7:17AM

That comes from being popular. You can't please everybody. I own both NG and DoA and am looking forward to future projects. As long as they are fun, I'm game.

The Dark Wayne @ May 27th 2009 1:20PM

The guy makes pretty sweet games, but for ffs it's like he's having a mid life crisis for most of his life

joeybeast @ May 27th 2009 1:23PM

nah man, he's just gangsta like that.

Brucie_K @ May 27th 2009 3:45PM

you just mad, cuz he's stylin' on ya

Rob @ May 27th 2009 1:21PM

Microsoft needs to get on the ball when it comes to a future project with him. They need all the japanese talent they can get there.

Storm Eagle @ May 27th 2009 1:23PM

"Now you listen Mr. Interviewer Guy. Ain't nothin's changed. My games are still going to be choc full of action and big ass titties. Oh and giant motherfuckin monsters. And monsters, maybe some of them too. But ain't nothin's different and my games are gonna kick you in the balls so hard, you're gonna wish you were a woman. And never you mind what secret game I'm working on, you're gonna buy it anyway."

traceur_ryuk_shinigami @ May 27th 2009 3:59PM

I actually laughed out loud. I can actually see him saying something like that.

Alex Sohn @ May 27th 2009 1:23PM

He may be back, but his face still looks like a crater.

ManekiNeko @ May 27th 2009 1:34PM

Yeah, he's got some serious Manuel Noriega/Edward James Olmos action going on there.

traceur_ryuk_shinigami @ May 27th 2009 4:00PM

More like an oatmeal cookie.

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff213/Gunzah/Itagaki.jpg

NaeemTHM @ May 27th 2009 1:24PM

Will his new game be called "Assassin Sidestory 3"?

Gehodra @ May 27th 2009 2:35PM

That was far less witty than you think it was...

Mr Khan @ May 27th 2009 1:26PM

The rumor was that Microsoft would at least sponsor his next project, like they did with Mizuguchi

Carlo @ May 27th 2009 5:31PM

look how well that turned out...

Lets think positively, shall we?

Captain Planet @ May 27th 2009 1:27PM

HELLS YES.

Arturo @ May 27th 2009 1:28PM

I like the name team ninja better than tokyo vikings...oh well :/

Letters2Kay @ May 27th 2009 1:28PM

Itagaki and Kanye West should make-out, they're two of the biggest egomaniacs in the world. The only real difference is that Itagaki has the talent to back up his bullshit... :)

Maverick Saturn @ May 27th 2009 1:49PM

Some would say Kanye does too, only difference is that Itakagi is only known in gaming, as far as I know.

Otherwise so many new singers wouldn't see Kanye as inspiration as they do, even if you and I think he's all about the ego.

aristokrat @ May 27th 2009 2:12PM

I heard Itagaki likes fish sticks too.

Silent @ May 27th 2009 2:28PM

Fuck Kanye West! He's the biggest fucking cry baby in the music industry. His name is not worth bringing up here.

Silent @ May 27th 2009 2:30PM

Fuck Kanye West! He's the biggest fucking cry baby in the music industry. His name is not worth bringing up here.

Letters2Kay @ May 27th 2009 2:57PM

...twice.

Seriously, though. Itagaki is the Kanye of video games.

traceur_ryuk_shinigami @ May 27th 2009 3:55PM

"I like putting fish sticks in my mouth."

PedoJokerBear (aka Deeznuts) @ May 27th 2009 1:32PM

hes the japanese edward james olmos

The Dark Wayne @ May 27th 2009 1:34PM

holy crap he does looks just like him

Petebot330 @ May 27th 2009 2:58PM

Howww do I reach these keeeeeds....

wages of sin @ May 27th 2009 1:34PM

@rob,

There is an interview on 1up with Itagaki where he basically says that he's loyal to MS and his new game would be going their but who knows.

I didn't get your comment about MS needing all the Japanese support they can get. As far as I can see they are and have been. They've received more JRPGS than the PS3 (regardless if you like them or not) and on a further note, Japanese developers aren't the power houses that they used to be, and by their own admission. Don't get me wrong you still have your Kojimas, Itagakis, and the like but the god like following that Japanese developers had is gone as developers around the world have stepped up.

Kenny Powers Fastball (PSN johnnynumber5) @ May 27th 2009 2:02PM

@Wages

I think what he meant is that MS needs a steady stream of Japanese content on the 360 for sales purposes. It's not really a coeincidence that whenever an exclusive JRPG releases on the 360 (ToVesperia, E.Sonata, I.Undiscovery, B.Dragon, L.Odyssey, L.Remnant, S.Ocean IV etc etc) sales spike and then sharply fall shortly after the game is released.

I think thats what he was getting it but you never know.

Dummy00001 @ May 28th 2009 10:24AM

"I think what he meant is that MS needs a steady stream of [*CUT*] content on the 360 for sales purposes."

Replace "Japanese content" with "content" and it becomes a common sense, valid for any company in any market.

It wasn't secret that Japs prefer /different/ kind of games (and it is "different" in different sense of word). After load of Western games, giving a treat to Asian games is only logical. It's not that they will be played exclusively by asians.

wfnb @ May 27th 2009 2:49PM

i hope his next game is Viking Gaiden...

Maverick Saturn @ May 27th 2009 1:48PM

He should concentrate on Wii titles, his love for boob physics will be even more accessible on Wii :D

Kenny Powers Fastball (PSN johnnynumber5) @ May 27th 2009 1:57PM

Look at it this way people ... If Itagaki is still exclusive to MS then thats fine. After he left Tecmo PS3 owners are now getting NG Sigma 2 & an exclusive of their own called Quantum Theory. Everybody wins in the end!

Hopefully he takes some time to polish the new game and gets the camera thing figured out. Other than those technical things his games are awesome.

R @ May 27th 2009 2:08PM

I really dont give a damn what people say about itagaki, I like him. He sticks to his ideals, styles, and opinions regardless of what everyone else says, and hes not afraid to tell it like it is. Its hard to find a developer to actually voice what he thinks of the competition, as they tend to give "politicly correct" answers. If TI doesnt like something, he straight up tells you that its trash and he can do better.

Hes an asshole, his fasion is dated, he drinks a lot, and I have never seen a picture of him without his shades on, but anyone that sticks by their ideals and beliefs with as much vigor as he does has my support.

I cant wait to see what he does with all that talent, but I seriously doubt Tecmo was happy about lose him.

Kodros @ May 27th 2009 2:13PM

The major question is: Did he Titty Physics Programmer from Team Ninja make the move to the new company?

.jpg @ May 27th 2009 2:33PM

i'll wait til i see what this new team can do before making any judgements, but i can't help but think everyone is gonna see where the real talent was and who was just a mouthpiece at team ninja.

superberg @ May 27th 2009 2:47PM

Itagaki was always kind of overrated, in my opinion. His work shows promise, but it's always marred by plasticvision and his egomania.

For me, it's always been Street Fighter > Soul Calibur > other fighters. I liked DoA for the PS1 back in the day, but I lost interest after a few weeks.

Oh, and I turned bouncing boobs off, because it just looks fucking ridiculous.