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Tomonobu Itagaki stepping down as head of Valhalla, will become game consultant

J

Jaded Alyx

Member
“To The Flowers Of The World / 世界中の花たちへ”

TOMONOBU ITAGAKI·THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

Hey everyone, the time has finally come where I can talk about what’s been going on with me. The reason I’ve been silent for this long is because I’ve been waiting for this day.

As of today, I’ll be moving on from my position as Representative Director of Valhalla Game Studios and take up the role of Prime Advisor. At the same time, I’ll also begin working together and creating games with a number of studios around the world.

With my 50th birthday marking a major milestone in my life, I’ve decided I want to change the way I work. My birthday is April 1st – this picture was taken just before that, making it the last picture of me in my 40’s. It was taken at Kiyosumi Garden in Tokyo by a friend of mine who is a professional cameraman.

Look at the cherry blossoms ready to blossom.

There are a lot of developers all around the world just like this.

I want to help them bloom.

You can find young, passionate developers in any country on the globe with aspirations and passion, the drive that makes them say “I’m gonna make an awesome game!!”.

Starting from now on, I want to share with these young developers my own experiences and knowledge and help them build their games together.

This comes a bit sudden and I’m sure many of you may be surprised. An official press release will be out shortly, so please read that as well.

http://www.valhallagamestudios.com/...

Phew, that felt great to finally get off my chest! I’m really looking forward to the future with you all!

Tomonobu Itagaki
Click to expand...

https://www.facebook.com/notes/tomo...owers-of-the-world-世界中の花たちへ/1895522974045145/
 
JB2448

JB2448

Member
Proper link to the PDF: http://www.valhallagamestudios.com/en/company/release/DirectorEN.pdf
21083773_1895530284044414_4644896395569328818_o.jpg
 
D

duckroll

Member
Wow so this is the end? He's stepping down and giving up after The Devil's Turd? Killed by a twice rebooted bomba WiiU game with 0 marketing that no one really wanted to make? Sad. I guess he'll be attaching his name to various projects from other devs to give them visibility now? Like Chris Avellone? Lol. Thanks for Ninja Gaiden Black and Dead or Alive 2, I guess.
 
Jetboxx

Jetboxx

Member
Thank you for your games, Itagaki-san! They're the best. You're better than Kojima! Can't wait to hear more about your next projects.
 
B

bobbychalkers

Member
Sucks that he had to go out on Devil's Third. The game had some cool ideas but desperately needed more time to cook.....and an engine swap since they were on Wii U.
 
I

Instro

Member
duckroll said:
Wow so this is the end? He's stepping down and giving up after The Devil's Turd? Killed by a twice rebooted bomba WiiU game with 0 marketing that no one really wanted to make? Sad. I guess he'll be attaching his name to various projects from other devs to give them visibility now? Like Chris Avellone? Lol. Thanks for Ninja Gaiden Black and Dead or Alive 2, I guess.
Click to expand...

Him, Chris, and a couple others could team up to a be a studio of human kickstarter goals.
 
Jetboxx

Jetboxx

Member
duckroll said:
Wow so this is the end? He's stepping down and giving up after The Devil's Turd? Killed by a twice rebooted bomba WiiU game with 0 marketing that no one really wanted to make? Sad. I guess he'll be attaching his name to various projects from other devs to give them visibility now? Like Chris Avellone? Lol. Thanks for Ninja Gaiden Black and Dead or Alive 2, I guess.
Click to expand...
Devil's Third was pretty good, actually.
 
O

Orca

Member
duckroll said:
Wow so this is the end? He's stepping down and giving up after The Devil's Turd? Killed by a twice rebooted bomba WiiU game with 0 marketing that no one really wanted to make? Sad. I guess he'll be attaching his name to various projects from other devs to give them visibility now? Like Chris Avellone? Lol. Thanks for Ninja Gaiden Black and Dead or Alive 2, I guess.
Click to expand...

So you're saying there's a chance for that Shinobi reboot...
 
L

Lt.Chips

Member
How on earth can a person create one of the most polished game in history - Ninja Gaiden Black - and also make something like The Devil's Third?

Just ask Itagaki. An enigma.
 
D

DerekOfTheDykes

Member
Jetboxx said:
Devil's Third was pretty good, actually.
Click to expand...
That game was so bad it was the only first party Wii U game Nintendo reps didn't get for free on release

I had to PAY for that game to play it, and the only good to come from it was that it made for some pretty strong roast material
 
C

CheesecakeRecipe

Stormy Grey
Too pro for this world

Doesn't seem like he's completely giving up, just changing the way he approaches interacting with projects. Hopefully he finds this more fulfilling!
 
Jetboxx

Jetboxx

Member
DerekOfTheDykes said:
That game was so bad it was the only first party Wii U game Nintendo reps didn't get for free on release

I had to PAY for that game to play it, and the only good to come from it was that it made for some pretty strong roast material
Click to expand...

You're not post-ironic enough.
 
R

rockman zx

Member
Too bad his career ended like this, well not ended but you know what I mean. Loved Ninja Gaiden including vanilla NG2 and also loved DOA too. It's a shame the THQ fiasco screwed his and Desilets careers as AAA creators.
 
Jetboxx

Jetboxx

Member
rockman zx said:
Too bad his career ended like this, well not ended but you know what I mean. Loved Ninja Gaiden including vanilla NG2 and also loved DOA too. It's a shame the THQ fiasco screwed his and Desilets careers as AAA creators.
Click to expand...
This is not the end.
 
A

Apathy

Member
duckroll said:
Wow so this is the end? He's stepping down and giving up after The Devil's Turd? Killed by a twice rebooted bomba WiiU game with 0 marketing that no one really wanted to make? Sad. I guess he'll be attaching his name to various projects from other devs to give them visibility now? Like Chris Avellone? Lol. Thanks for Ninja Gaiden Black and Dead or Alive 2, I guess.
Click to expand...

You forgot that there is always Kickstarter where he can follow in the footsteps of inafune
 
Jetboxx

Jetboxx

Member
rockman zx said:
So you expect him to direct another game?, a game with significant budget?. I know he is not retiring from gaming but he is never going to fulfill his potential as a game creator. My opinion of course.
Click to expand...
Well, who knows? We can't foresee the future. But what I know is that Itagaki will never betray us!
 
B

bobbychalkers

Member
Jetboxx said:
Devil's Third was pretty good, actually.
Click to expand...

Jetboxx said:
Devil's Third was in development hell.
Click to expand...

Jetboxx said:
You're not post-ironic enough.
Click to expand...

Jetboxx said:
Yeah, the dude is cool too! Actually, there are many talented people in Valhalla. One guy told me there were many developers from Sega AM2.
Click to expand...

Jetboxx said:
This is not the end.
Click to expand...

Jetboxx said:
When? He'll continue to create games.
Click to expand...

Jetboxx said:
And he decided to help young developers blossom. I think it's a very clever and decent choice.
Click to expand...

Jetboxx said:
Well, who knows? We can't foresee the future. But what I know is that Itagaki will never betray us!
Click to expand...
image.php

.....Itagaki?
 
C

Conrad Link

Member
I only paid $8NZ for Devil's Third, but I really liked it!

The story and characters are silly fun, I played right through the game just running around chopping everything up with the katana.

Sad. :( I wonder if Valhalla will do anything significant again, or Itagaki for that matter.
 
W

WickedLaharl

Member
It's for the best as his ability to create competent action games are clearly behind him. Shame that hayashit didn't absorb any of his greatness.
 
Jetboxx

Jetboxx

Member
Wesley-Sigma said:
I wonder if PlatinumGames would be interested in taking him in.
Click to expand...
What are you talking about? He's still employed in Valhalla Game Studios. I bet he just got tired of all this business shit. Now he just wants to make games and help young developers blossom.
 
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