Earlier this month idiosyncratic Team Ninja head, Tomonobu Itagaki, announced that he would be leaving the studio's owner, Tecmo, and filing a lawsuit against the company for unpaid bonuses on Dead or Alive 4. Shortly afterwards rumours surfaced that around 30 other members of Team Ninja were leaving, and that at least two may also be taking legal action against the beleaguered publisher, via an independent union.
The latest twist finds Tecmo apparently placing a gagging order on Itagaki-san, banning him from talking about Tecmo projects or the company itself. This is hardly surprising considering the outspoken loose cannon recently criticised Ninja Gaiden Sigma and claimed that there were no plans for further Ninja Gaiden or DoA titles (more here).
This is, of course, not the first time that the relationship between the Team Ninja chief and Tecmo has hit a bumpy patch. In 2006, a female member of staff accused Itagaki of sexual harassment, a charge he denied and was later cleared of - although the controversy may have led to his demotion.
So, anyway, what does all this mean for DoA 5 and Ninja Gaiden? Tecmo says it has new titles from both series' in production. But will anyone be left to work on them?
Update: Tecmo has issued a press release denying that significant numbers of staff are leaving, and asking Western journalists to show fairness in the reporting of rumours.
