In his new “Itagaki’s Thought” column, former Ninja Gaiden designer and currently Valhalla Game Studios developer Tomonobu Itagaki is looking at the bigger picture.

“I’m doubtful about the Japanese game industry’s stance these days,” he writes. “Many say things like, ‘How do we sell games to Americans?’, ‘What games sell well in Europe?’, and ‘How we should face the world as Japanese?’”

“However, to me, that just seems to be narrowing down one’s own market,” he continues. “I would like to ask, but what about Moscow? How about China? Mexico? Or even Sicily? Brazil?”

According to Itagaki, “I’ve always been of the belief that there’s no nationality to entertainment. You need to make a game for everyone on Earth, one that anyone can enjoy. I have lived for a long time thinking this way, and it’s only getting stronger.”

Bet those living outside the U.S. and Europe are happy to hear that at least one game developer understands that the audience for games is truly global.

Valhalla Studios also has interview with some of the studios’ programmers — all of which were programmers or lead programmers at Tecmo.

Valhalla Game Studios | Itagaki’s [Valhalla Thanks, Matt!] [Pic]

The new studio is called “Valhalla” as in Norse mythology. Valhalla is an enormous hall with over 500 doors and outfitted with spears in the rafters. It is known as the Hall of the Slain because it is where half of the heroes who have died on the battlefield are brought.

Currently, the Valhalla studio staff is about 50 strong, and there are plans to increase that number slightly. What is Vahalla working on?

“I won’t say where we are right now,” Itagaki told game mag Famitsu. “But it will be something that people have never seen before.” Tomonobu Itagaki is the studio’s Chief Technical Officer.

“Valhalla” is a much better name than “Tokyo Vikings”, which sounds like a sports team of some sorts. It’s such a good name that there is already an Australia-based game development company called Valhalla Studios. The game was established in 2007, well before Itagaki’s Valhalla outfit, and specialises in Xbox 360 and PC games.

[Pic]

Does that mean we’ll see another fighting game from him? “Because I made the best fighting game in the world, Dead or Alive, at my former employer,” Itagaki told Japanese game magazine Famitsu, “it’s futile to do battle with my own daughter.” Like most creators who view their work as their children, Itagaki clearly views the series as his daughter, and it sounds like he is apparently ready to move on.

“Fighting games today are at an impasse,” Itagaki added. According to him, the fighting game, DOA withstanding, generation ended a long time ago.

Itagaki also revealed that his new title is being developed on new game engine that has been built by assembling world class tech.

Both Tecmo and Itagaki have reconciled the lawsuit the game designer filed in summer 2008. In an issued issued statement, Itagaki stated that the agreement was “mutual” and the settlement was “harmonious”. Itagaki also gave a “heartfelt thanks” for all the fans who continued to offer support and encouragement during this ordeal.

“I am currently planning a totally new title,” Itagaki added, “and I am eagerly awaiting the day I am able to announce it.” Itagaki promised fans the game will be “world class entertainment” and offer “deeper” playing experience than anything up to now.

Back in June 2008 Itagaki announced, “I have filed this lawsuit with a strong intent to question the social responsibility of Tecmo Co., Ltd. and its President Yoshimi Yasuda, as well as condemning them for their unjust acts.” The game designer claimed damages in total of 148 million yen.

Itagaki later revealed that he had been fired from the company.

There were dubious “special incentive” contracts, secret tapes and submitted evidence.

Tecmo slapped Itagaki with a four point gag-order — which the company later withdrew. Tecmo president Yoshimi Yasuda later resigned from the company.

Last fall, Itagaki hinted at what kind of title he could be working on in an interview with Kotaku.

“I am bald, but I am not gay.”

Thanks for sharing? Perhaps Kamiya was making some off-handed remark or whatever — he did say he was “sleepy”. Unfortunately, Kotaku only has a summary of Kamiya’s comments that has been floating around the Japanese internet and thus don’t know the full context, which could better explain his statement.

The majority of the comments are concerned with the actual game: “For the opponent, dodging attacks is more humiliating than blocking them.” He also talks about how blocking already means you’ve turned a win-lose into a lose.

One of the main mechanics for Bayonetta is dodging attacks.

Some on the Japanese internet point out that Kamiya also seems to be revisiting his feud with former Team Ninja lead Ninja Tomonobu Itagaki. “It’s a huge mistake to think like an idiot that big breasts on women seem erotic.” Itagaki is known for his chesty characters in games like Dead or Alive.

The Kamiya vs. Itagaki has been ongoing with Itagaki recommending laser-eye surgery for Kamiya, and Kamiya saying that Itagaki’s Ninja Gaiden didn’t have “the power” to pull him in.

Previously, Itagaki also said, “My daughter tried playing Okami, and she got sick of it pretty quickly — and I got pretty sick of it, too… So I heard Kamiya said something about the action genre not moving forward in eight years. Can you tell me more about that? …Was he asleep for eight years?”

The Japanese internet seems to believe that Kamiya’s recently comment that he’s “sleepy” is in reference to this Itagaki remark. Oh the drama, the drama.

ゲームクリエイターの神谷氏と板垣氏の抗争が本格化してきた件について [はちま起稿] [Pic]

Itagaki has kept a relatively low profile since leaving Tecmo, working with his new company Tokyo Vikings and agreeing to only to interviews here and there.

Itagaki is upbeat and opinionated as ever, talking about a range of topics and showing us pictures of missiles. And who doesn’t love pictures of missiles?

While Itagaki was tight-lipped about what he and his team were working on, he did express an interest in military weaponry (missiles!). Back in May 2008, he told Kotaku that he was interested in doing something “totally new, completely unrelated to anything I’ve done before. Not any part of any existing franchises.”

As we previously reported, Itagaki said what he’d like to do is work on another action title or perhaps a war-themed game, perhaps something set in the Pacific theatre during World War II.

“I think the Pacific theatre of World War II is a interesting topic,” he said in 2008. “I think it would be cool to work with an American developer and do a game based on the Pacific theatre.” When Kotaku asked during that interview how long he had been thinking about doing such a title, Itagaki said it was something he came up with during our short interview. “I’m interested in that period of time, for my generation, that was an event that influenced us more than anything else,” he said at the time. “I think that would be an interesting topic to explore.”

That was 2008, this is now, a year later. Our 2009 Tokyo Game Show interview with Itagaki below:

Kotaku: It’s good to see you again, Itagaki-san.
Itagaki: You too. How have you been?
Kotaku: Pretty good, thanks. So first let me ask you what you thought of our recent news story.
Itagaki: Which story?
Kotaku: That Tecmo had been falsely editing the Team Ninja entry on Wikipedia, and it became pretty big news.
Itagaki: Editing, you say?
Kotaku: Yeah, they apparently deleted sections about you and your former team members.
Itagaki: I don’t really know what the point is in doing something like that, but hey, I’m still here. Does editing Wikipedia change the world or something?
Kotaku: That’s a good question.
Itagaki: We live in a convenient day and age, but trust me, nothing’s that convenient. They should find better things to do with their time.
Kotaku: Curious to know what your opinion is on the current state of the Japanese game industry?
Itagaki: I think that, in time, it will end up much like the Japanese film industry, you know?
Kotaku: What do you mean that it’s like the Japanese film industry?
Itagaki: I mean it will become similar in terms of its competitiveness in mass markets, its ability to raise funds, and its technological prowess. I mean, Kojima-san at Konami has been talking about the technological side of the issue for quite some time now, hasn’t he?
Kotaku: So, are you saying that the Japanese game industry is heading towards a decline?
Itagaki: Whether it goes into a major decline or not will depend on the publishers and game creators here in Japan. There’s no point in travelling the same path that Japan did 400 years ago, after all.
Kotaku: What do you mean by 400 years ago?
Itagaki: I’m talking about sakoku, the policy in which Japan closed its borders to the outside world. What the industry is doing right now is just a modern form of sakoku. What I’m trying to get at is that you’ve got to be an Earthling first, and a Japanese second.
Kotaku: Are there any Japanese films in particular that you like?
Itagaki: Yesterday I saw Departures on TV. I thought that the head of the funeral home was the main character’s father, but after watching it I found out I was wrong (laughs). It was pretty interesting but I felt that the ending was lacking somewhat. But, what’s a Japanese movie I like? I’m particularly fond of Brother by Takeshi Kitano — that’s a great film.
Kotaku: What about games, what games have you played recently that you thought were fun or not so fun?
Itagaki: Sandy from the new Dragon Quest made me want to take the DS and snap the damn thing in half (laughs). Looks like the game is pretty popular amongst my friends, though.
Kotaku: What have you been doing since you quit Tecmo?
Itagaki: I’ve been taking photographs, designing games — you know, the usual. The other day I went to Mt. Fuji and took some pictures of the Japanese Army. It was a 24-hour forced march so I’m pretty tired though! (laughs)
(top photo)
This was taken at the moment a Type-20 battle tank fired its main cannon.
(bottom photo)
Here’s the launching of rocket artillery.
Kotaku: Wow, these are pretty impressive.
Itagaki: Yeah, there is nothing like the real thing. This is no video game.
Kotaku: Do these have anything to do with your next games?
Itagaki: I don’t spend even a second on anything that I don’t have an interest in.
Kotaku: What do you think about the feature in Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 that allows players to control characters’ chest movements with the SIXAXIS?
Itagaki: What the hell…?
Kotaku: When you shake the controller forcefully, the female characters’ chests bounce. What do you think of that?
Itagaki: Well, it certainly is unique… (laughs)
Kotaku: What do you mean by “unique”?
Itagaki: Are those guys doing okay at home? I mean, I know Sigma 2’s producer, Hayashi, just got married recently…
Kotaku: Well, we tend to think of breast bouncing mechanics as being a registered trademark of your games, Itagaki-san, so tell us, are you doing okay at home?
Itagaki: Don’t worry, my wife is no pushover — trust me! (laughs)
Kotaku: How many team members do you have at Tokyo Vikings? Are there any ex-Tecmo staff?
Itagaki: What sort of stupid general would give his enemy information on his troop strength? You’d better go back and read up on Rommel, AKA “the Desert Fox.”
Kotaku: Would you like to make another fighting game at some point?
Itagaki: I believe I created one possible example of a perfected fighting game 4 years ago. If someone else wants to make one, I say they go right ahead.
Kotaku: What genre of game would you like to make then?
Itagaki: If I were to tell you that it would ruin the surprise! Be patient just a little while longer.
Kotaku: Are you considering doing something for the Wii or DS?
Itagaki: I’ve made one for the DS, as you know. It wasn’t a typical DS game, though, that’s for sure. When you get right down to it, I’m not sure that I’m suited for portable games, you know?
Kotaku: Will you be at the Tokyo Game Show? I think your fans are waiting for you to announce your next project.
Itagaki: I’m really sorry to keep them waiting, but it’s just not time to announce anything quite yet. My partners and I are working on quite a few bombshells at the moment.
Kotaku: So you’ll drop those bombs somewhere? Where’s your target?
Itagaki: You’ll know once you see the explosions.

He’s also back to fill the vacuum of Japanese game developer trash talk. From an Itagaki interview with 1Up comes this bit about Platinum Games developer Hideki Kamiya, who is currently making Devil-May-Cry-in-heels action title Bayonetta:

1UP: What do you think about Bayonetta, as a game? Do you think Kamiya is right to follow the Devil May Cry formula so closely?

TI: If I made a similar game as a game I made in the company I quit, people would say, “What an idiot, can’t he make anything else?” Well, that is more or less the opinion I have for, uh, that Bayo-something game.

1UP: What do you think of Bayonetta’s character design? She’s covered in hair.

TI: Covered in hair, is she? I dunno, Mr. Kamiya must have a lot going through his head. Well, in any case, I would first recommend laser eye surgery. I’m sure he’s not that strapped for cash, right?

A bit of background: Bayonetta designer Hideki Kamiya stated previously that he had never played Itagaki’s Ninja Gaiden because he said the game “didn’t have the power” to pull him in.

Moving beyond the smack talk and Itagaki’s recommendation that Kamiya get laser eye surgery if he’s not strapped for cash (ouch), this chatter could provide clues regarding what the former Team Ninja lead ninja and his team are up to. Elsewhere in the interview, he says he’s gotten tired of making games with girls that have enormous breasts and won’t be making games with Aerosmith music anymore.

“I have to apologise to my fans, but since I won’t be making Dead or Alive games,” Itagaki explains, “I won’t be using Aerosmith’s music anymore. I want to send the deepest gratitude to Aerosmith and Steven Tyler. The power I needed to make DOA came from Aerosmith and the movie Armageddon.”

Developer Interview: Itagaki Skewers the Competition [1Up via Sega Nerds]

That’s because Itagaki can now trashtalk Tekken and whatever happens next in the Dead or Alive series, given his new position at a game development start up that’s comprised of more ex-Team Ninja developers than you’d expect. Itagaki and team tell 1UP that more than 22 developers jumped ship from the Ninja Gaiden team after a disagreement with Tecmo management that saw team members heading for the door.

So what’s Itagaki and crew up to now? Well, he and top level staff formerly of Team Ninja—Hiroaki Matsui, Katsunori Ehara, Yoshifuru Okamoto—are already working on something under the unofficial “Tokyo Vikings” name. That something we won’t see for awhile, as Itagaki says they won’t be showcasing their product at this year’s E3.

But they have a lot to say. Check out the full interview for hints about what they have planned.

Tokyo Vikings: Tomonobu Itagaki and Crew Return With a New Team and Xbox 360 Game [1UP]

New Team Ninja lead ninja Yosuke Hayashi hinted to website Kikizo that there very well could be more in store for Ninja Gaiden. “Regardless of what Itagaki-san said before,” Hayashi said, “in time, what the consumers, the gamers are looking for is going to be the next chapter — the future of an outstanding series.”

And that future is? Hayashi kept his cards close to his vest, but added, “We feel that we’re in a position of being able to make that call, and to provide pure entertainment that’s going to be enjoyed by action gamers and our fans. That calling is already there — we feel it, and therefore we will continue to work towards a future for the series.”

Just promise us one thing: You’ll act surprised when Tecmo announces Ninja Gaiden III, IV and V. Oh, don’t forget to get up in around about those future PS3-only Ninja Gaiden Black ports.

Hayashi Interview [Kikizo]

Last summer, we broke that former Tecmo president Yoshimi Yasuda was at the centre of not one Tecmo employee brouhaha, but two. The president eventually resigned, but he’s found another job. Good for him.

Yasuda was the centre of the Itagaki vs. Tecmo legal suit. Dead or Alive creator Tomonobu Itagaki sued for unpaid DoA 4 wages. These were “special incentive” wages that Itagaki claimed were agreed to by the former Tecmo president and the board of directors, but the current president is claiming these “special incentive” wages were made by the former president and not approved by the Tecmo board.

As we posted last year, Itagaki left Tecmo and filed suit for unpaid bonuses. As Itagaki stated then, “President Yoshimi Yasuda chose not only to violate this agreement, but also turned defiant, telling me ‘if you are dissatisfied with the decision not to pay the bonuses, either quit the company or sue it.’”

During the court proceedings, evidence was presented, such as this secret audio tape that we posted online, which contained statements by Yasuda that seemed in direct conflict with his court claim that this “special incentives” proposal was made by the former president and not approved by the Tecmo board. The recording helped support Itagaki’s claim that his special incentive bonus was approved by Tecmo’s former president and the board of directors, and that the Yasuda knew this, contradicting himself.

Besides this legal spat, Yasuda was embroiled in a totally separate lawsuit filed by other Tecmo employees as well – Hiroaki Ozawa and co-plaintiff Tatsuki Tsunoda. Ozawa is the Tecmo Labour Union leader and Ninja Gaiden 2 lead engineer, while Tsunoda is the Ninja Gaiden 2 level design lead. According to the suit, the workers were illegally placed on a “flexible hours” work scheme where overtime was not paid.

All that is water under the bridge, it seems. Yasuda has a new white collar executive level job. Japan’s Kadokawa Group Holdings has announced a 100 percent owned subsidiary named Kadokawa Games. The president of this company? Yoshimi Yasuda. Kadokawa Games will focus on online games and the overseas market. And like that, another disgraced business exec lands on his feet.

Enterbrain, the publisher of Famitsu, is an affiliate of Kadokawa Group Holdings. Former Sony Computer Entertainment exec Ken Kutaragi is a Kadokawa Group Holdings board member as well. Just sayin’.

「角川ゲームス」設立　社長にテクモ元社長の安田善巳氏 [IT Media via my game news flash