It's been a rough few days for entertainment fans, as some big names have sadly passed away. Diane Keaton died a few days ago, and even more recently so did the legendary illustrator Drew Struzan. Now, at a really unfortunate time due to the imminent launch of Ninja Gaiden 4, it has been revealed that Tomunobu Itagaki has also sadly died.
This news comes from Itagaki's own Facebook page where he shares the following message (after translation):
"Words to leave. The light of my life is about to run out. The fact that this sentence has been posted means it's finally time. I'm no longer in this world. (This last post is for someone special to me. ) My life has been a series of battles. We stayed winning. I've caused a lot of trouble. I stand by my beliefs and I owe it. No regrets. I just feel so sorry to all my fans that I can't deliver my new work sorry. It is what it is. So it goes."
Itagaki has been a revolutionary name in the video game world, as the famed developer created Ninja Gaiden and also the Dead or Alive franchise too. For a long while, he was also the head of Team Ninja, during which time he created the formerly mentioned action-adventure series.
A sad affair as this has already begun to have its impact on the wider gaming world, as Tekken boss Katsuhiro Harada has shared a comment that reads:
"No way, Itagaki-san. You said, "Let's grab a drink sometime," didn't you? I don't believe it. I don't."
<social>https://x.com/Harada_TEKKEN/status/1978728626838294647</social>
RIP Itagaki-san.