Our Properties: Gamasutra GameCareerGuide IndieGames Indie Royale GDC IGF Game Developer Magazine GAO
My Message close
Latest News
spacer View All spacer
 
February 10, 2012
 
Road to the IGF: Lucky Frame's Pugs Luv Beats
 
Analyst questions validity of unusual January NPD results [12]
 
Blizzard opposes Valve Dota name registration [2]
spacer
Latest Features
spacer View All spacer
 
February 10, 2012
 
arrow Virtual Goods - An Excerpt from Social Game Design: Monetization Methods and Mechanics
 
arrow Principles of an Indie Game Bottom Feeder [21]
 
arrow Postmortem: CyberConnect 2's Solatorobo: Red the Hunter [1]
spacer
Latest Blogs
spacer View All     Post     RSS spacer
 
February 10, 2012
 
Audio Passes: Success Through Layering
 
What the current RPG can learn from Diablo 1
 
Double Fine's Kickstarter Windfall: Will Patronage Supplant Traditional Game Publishing? [9]
 
The Principles of Game Monetization
 
Did DoubleFine Just break the publishing model for good? [15]
spacer
Latest Jobs
spacer View All     Post a Job     RSS spacer
 
February 10, 2012
 
CCP - North America
Animation Director
 
Toys for Bob / Activision
Senior Programmer
 
Toys for Bob / Activision
Lead Programmer
 
Vicarious Visions / Activision
FX Artist-Vicarious Visions
 
Vicarious Visions / Activision
Tools Engineer-Vicarious Visions
 
Treyarch / Activision
Lighting Artist, Cinematic
spacer
Latest Press Releases
spacer View All     RSS spacer
 
February 10, 2012
 
Indie Royale's
Valentine's Bundle is
live
 
SUPPORT YOUR FAVORITE
NARUTO NINJA TEAM IN
NARUTO...
 
Age of Games releases the
fourth episode of the...
 
Gaming comes to London
Fashion Week
 
Gala Networks Europe
augura un buon San
Valentino
spacer
About
spacer Editor-In-Chief/News Director:
Kris Graft
Features Director:
Christian Nutt
Senior Contributing Editor:
Brandon Sheffield
News Editors:
Frank Cifaldi, Tom Curtis, Mike Rose, Eric Caoili, Kris Graft
Editors-At-Large:
Leigh Alexander, Chris Morris
Advertising:
Jennifer Sulik
Recruitment:
Gina Gross
 
Feature Submissions
 
Comment Guidelines
Sponsor
News

  Tecmo, Itagaki Settle Legal Dispute
by Kris Graft [PC, Console/PC]
5 comments
Share on Twitter
Share on Facebook RSS
 
 
February 26, 2010
 
Tecmo, Itagaki Settle Legal Dispute

Tomonobu Itagaki, the outspoken Ninja Gaiden and Dead Or Alive designer who led Tecmo's Team Ninja before leaving in 2008, settled a legal dispute with his former employer out of court this week, according to consumer video game site 1UP.

The game designer said "that a settlement was amicably reached on February 26th, 2010 upon a mutual agreement." His lawsuit sought damages of around $1.42 million, although terms of the actual settlement were not disclosed.

Itagaki sued Tecmo in 2008 when he left the publisher under contentious circumstances. He claimed that the company owed him unpaid bonuses, wages, severance, and other compensation.

In May 2009, about a year after Itagaki left Tecmo, news emerged that he and former members of Team Ninja formed a new game studio under the working name, "Tokyo Vikings." The studio has yet to reveal what exactly it's working on.

Following the settlement of the Tecmo suit, Itagaki also told his fans, "I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your great help and words of encouragement which have been extended to me so far.

"I can't hardly wait for the day of announcing my newest work in progress to you all, but I promise you now that I will deliver to you an enjoyable game with depth that surpasses all the games I created before, and is worthy of being world-class entertainment.

"Please continue your unwavering support for me. -- Tomonobu Itagaki"
 
   
 
Comments

James Booth
profile image
Yay!

Christian Nutt
profile image
UNWAVERING SUPPORT GET

Chris Lombardi
profile image
Wonder how much the settlement was that he got....It wouldnt surprise me if the settlement was above what he was asking, so Tecmo wont look like assholes and keep this on the Down Low.

David Delanty
profile image
Thank God. Let's continue diverting our efforts towards OUR industry; help it grow by investing in artists, programmers, and designers, and stop inflating the already-bloated legal industry. I swear, if the video games business wasn't so wrought with lawsuits and legal departments committing atomic judicial warfare, we'd be in a much better position than we are now.

Respect copyrights. Honor contracts. Be nice to your employees. It's pretty straightforward, in my humble unresearched opinion...

Chris Lombardi
profile image
Hafta agree David.
The american dream is to file a huge lawsuit, large enough to live on, and be happy and not work for the rest of our lives.
And especially nowadays, when franchises make $300 mil+


none
 
Comment:
 




 
UBM Techweb
Game Network
Game Developers Conference | GDC Europe | GDC Online | GDC China | Gamasutra | Game Developer Magazine | Game Advertising Online
Game Career Guide | Independent Games Festival | Indie Royale | IndieGames

Other UBM TechWeb Networks
Business Technology | Business Technology Events | Telecommunications & Communications Providers

Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Contact Us | Copyright © UBM TechWeb, All Rights Reserved.