India, Oct. 16 -- Tomonobu Itagaki, a celebrated Japanese game designer known for creating the Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden series, passed away at 58. The news was revealed through a final post on his official Facebook account, which was reportedly scheduled to be shared after his death. His death was later confirmed by his friend and fellow game industry veteran James Mielke on Bluesky, who expressed deep sorrow at the passing of the man many considered a revolutionary figure in Japanese gaming, reported Eurogamer.

Born in Tokyo in 1967, Itagaki began his career at Tecmo in the 1990s, where he founded Team Ninja (then called Tecmo Creative #3). Under his leadership, the team produced groundbreaking titles like Dead or Alive and the Ni...