Itagaki: The Kikizo Interview 2005

Our latest, extensive chat with the Team Ninja boss reveals new information on Code Cronus and DOA4, his opinion on EA, and thoughts on recent projects.

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In the time since we last spoke with Team Ninja's charismatic leader, Tomonobu Itagaki, his Tecmo production studio has released two Xbox Live updates to one of last year's best games, Ninja Gaiden, and successfully rolled out the groundbreaking online 3D fighter, Dead or Alive Ultimate (with the third and final launch taking place in Europe this Friday).

So it's fair to say that Itagaki-san - who plays a role as producer, director and often programmer on his titles - has been busy. Of course, we're more interested in what he'll be showing us next. We're pretty sure that next up, Dead or Alive 4 is headed to Xbox 2, and the endlessly enigmatic Dead or Alive: Code Cronus is also a dead cert for the next Microsoft system.

We already learnt a few new details on Cronus and DOA4 in our previous Itagaki interview, but they are both projects we were lucky enough to get new snippets on, in this latest chat at Tecmo's Tokyo HQ. We also discovered his blunt opinion on EA, got a little update on DS and PSP plans, and discussed DOA: The Movie - and naturally, DOA Ultimate.

Kikizo: When did you first start working at Tecmo?

Tomonobu Itagaki: I started in 1992. The first game I worked on was a soccer game. Originally, I wanted to be a [traditional] writer, but I didn't have talent in that field. I could have been a pro gambler. My family and girlfriend stopped me though...

Tomonobu Itagaki, Producer - Team Ninja, Tecmo, Ltd

Kikizo: How and when did the concept for the original Dead or Alive come about?

Itagaki: At the time, Tecmo wasn't doing so well. Our name wasn't really known, and our finances were rather shaky. The management asked for a Virtua Fighter-style game - only better. Timing was a big part of it; VF was considered the pinnacle of gaming excellence at the time. If Gran Turismo had been released around that time, I would have been asked to make a GT-style game instead.

Itagaki describes Kasumi as a "softer" character than Ayane

Kikizo: The original Dead or Alive arcade game ran on Sega's Model 2 hardware, why did you choose this for the game?

Itagaki: At the time, Model 2 was the most advanced arcade system for thirdparties. Model 3 would have been great, but Model 3 was Sega's flagship board, so we couldn't have used it. If we were talking fighter jets, Model 2 was the Messerschmitt BF109E, while the Model 3 was the Focke-Wulf FW-190!

Kikizo: The version of Dead or Alive 1 in Dead or Alive Ultimate is based upon the Saturn version. Why did you base the remake on the Saturn game instead of the Model 2 original, the PS1 version, or Dead or Alive++ [which ran on Tecmo hardware]?

Itagaki: The quality of the Saturn game was the best, we think. It's my personal favourite. It was the first game I fully produced, as well, so it has great personal significance for me.

"The quality of [Saturn DOA1] was the best, we think"

Kikizo: Fighting games have long been considered a genre that is strongest in the arcades. The first two DOA games had arcade versions - why did you opt to make the third game onwards console-exclusive? Have you ever thought of going back to the arcades?

Itagaki: There are three reasons. Firstly, timing. It takes a year to create an arcade game, and another year to port it and add all the special stuff. If I concentrate on a consumer version, I can spend the most time making the game as good as possible. Secondly, the market situation. The arcade game market in the West and even here in Japan is very poor. It seemed silly to waste time on an arcade version in this current market.

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