Tomonobu Itagaki has never been one to keep his opinions to himself, and his latest shot was taken at a series he himself helped create.
Itagaki, who is currently working on the Wii U title Devil’s Third as part of Valhalla Game Studios, recently responded to a critical statement made by a fan with regards to Dead or Alive’s direction after the developer’s highly publicized resignation from Tecmo Koei in 2008.
In his response, Itagaki agreed with the sentiments expressed by the initial poster and those that followed, saying, “[Dead or Alive] was totally ruined, spoiled. I can’t/shouldn’t avert my eyes from that fact.” He followed that up by saying he is interested in doing something for the franchise after his work on current projects has completed, though what that something is remains to be seen.
Itagaki hasn’t worked on a major title in the series since 2006’s Dead or Alive 4 due to the aforementioned parting of ways with Tecmo, but the fighter survives to this day without his input thanks to multiple iterations of the fifth installment. Another update, Last Round, is scheduled to release in February of next year, with upgraded graphics for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, balance changes, and new characters.
Whether you agree or disagree with Itagaki, his emotions are understandable for a man typically seen as the father of the Dead or Alive series (which he’s referred to as his daughter in previous instances), though they could also be construed as sour grapes from a developer no longer in control of a franchise.
In any case, it’s rather hard to see him returning to the series any time soon thanks to his strained relationship with Tecmo Koei, so any hopes of a glorious rebirth for Dead or Alive under his leadership should certainly be tempered.
Source: Tomonobu Itagaki via Siliconera