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One moment for two minutes with Devil's Third
The path Tomonobu Itagaki's Devil's Third is taking to launch is strange and unusual. Once you watch this trailer you can't imagine it having an existence that would allow for the mundane. Itagaki also spoke with us this week at E3 about the over-the-top game's strange path from defunct publisher THQ to Nintendo.
Itagaki's action-packed Devil's Third coming exclusively to Wii U
Last we heard of Tomonobu Itagaki's Devil's Third, the game was nearly finished and ready for launch later this year, though we have now learned that the game will appear exclusively on Nintendo's Wii U console. Itagaki broke the news during an IGN E3 stream, though the developer most famous for the gravity-defying Dead or Alive franchise offered no further information on what we can expect from the Wii U game. Nintendo "really understood my vision," Itagaki stated, "so I felt I really had to work with them." Lacking from Itagaki's revelation was any sort of release date. [Image: Valhalla Games]
Itagaki: Devil's Third almost finished, launching in 2014
Valhalla Games, the new outfit from former Team Ninja head Tomonobu Itagaki, will launch Devil's Third some time next year. It's around 80% complete right now, Itagaki said. "We'll be going all out next year, so please look forward to it." There hasn't been much word on Devil's Third since its old publisher THQ went out of business last year and rights to the game were soon relinquished back to Valhalla Games. In May, Itagaki assured that work on the game would continue even though a new publisher had not been lined up yet. Devil's Third is a third-person shooter with melee combat elements set during a modern-day world war. It's Itagaki's first game since his controversial exit from Tecmo in 2008.
Devil's Third still in production, Itagaki assures
Speaking with Famitsu, Valhalla Game Studios CTO Tomonobu Itagaki confirmed that work continues on his company's third-person shooter Devil's Third, despite publisher concerns and a lack of updates regarding its development. "It's going along really well," Itagaki said in an interview translated by Polygon's Kevin Gifford. "We're discussing things with publishers; we're continuing to expand on and deepen the gameplay. That's about the level we're at." Devil's Third was announced in 2010, and little was revealed about its gameplay in the years since. Devil's Third's intellectual property rights reverted to Valhalla after former publisher THQ failed to find a buyer following its dissolution last year. "It's like we're continuing to go along under the surface, waiting for the right timing to launch our missiles," Itagaki said, addressing the scarcity of details regarding the project. "Besides, if we revealed where we were hiding under the surface, it wouldn't be much of a war, would it?" Itagaki notes that Devil's Third will not be shown at E3 next month, due to timing issues.
Devil's Third heading to 'digital devices' as well as consoles and PC
Tomonobu Itagaki's Valhalla Game Studios is developing Devil's Third for more than just "home consoles and PC," says Valhalla CEO Satoshi Kanematsu. The studio is also crafting the game for "a wide range of digital devices," as Kanematsu explains in a letter posted to the studio's site.What are "digital devices," pray tell? That's a good question – perhaps handhelds like the Vita and 3DS, perhaps mobile devices – we're not sure just yet. But Kanematsu doesn't stop there. "We are also looking beyond the boundaries of video games and plan to work with other various forms of media, including manga, novels, animation and film, to create a blockbuster franchise," he says. Sounds like ex-THQ buddy Danny Bilson and his "transmedia" message may've rubbed off on Valhalla.Devil's Third is a horror title being produced by Valhalla Games independently, having recently broken away from publisher THQ and retained the rights to the IP.
Devil's Third rights relinquished to Itagaki's Valhalla Games
THQ apparently couldn't find a buyer for Valhalla Games' first project, Devil's Third. The rights to the project were handed back to creative lead Tomonobu Itagaki and his studio, THQ confirmed to Eurogamer. "All of the game's IP rights have been returned to Itagaki-san and the Valhalla team," the statement reads.The news comes on the heels of a Famitsu interview Itagaki participated in, where he expressed gratitude to THQ and Danny Bilson for trying to make things work before giving in. "We were anguished and they were really kind to us. Mr. Danny Bilson was searching for a way to work together until the very end. I do appreciate him and THQ managers that signed the transfer contract," Itagaki said, according to EG's translation.Itagaki also said that the game is "in its final stage now, though he admitted that the final stage is also "most expensive." THQ announced its collaboration with Itagaki and Valhalla Studios in 2010 – part of its "Core Games" push – but the publisher's recent financial issues eventually gutted the deal. It's unclear what publisher, if any, will pick up Devil's Third.
THQ looking to sell off Devil's Third
Ex-Team Ninja head Tomonobu Itagaki's first project after leaving Tecmo could be in trouble. During today's financial briefing call to investors, THQ president and CEO Brian Farrell said Devil's Third no longer fits the publisher's "profitability profile.""The profitability profile for Devil's Third no longer met our internal threshold and we are currently in discussions with third parties regarding the future of this title," Farrell said. "There were a couple of unforeseen events that happened during the development of Devil's Third. One was the company that Valhalla was using for the engine went out of business, so we had to assist Itagaki and the team with a new engine – it took a fair amount of time and cost a fair amount of money."The other big issue was the appreciation of the Yen, which reduced Devil's Third's potential for profit compared to other stuff in THQ's pipeline. "We think it's an excellent franchise; we've really enjoyed working with Itagaki-san, and we're going to explore other opportunities with him and others to make sure this product comes to market."Devil's Third is the first project from Tomonobu Itagaki's new development studio, Valhalla Game Studios. Itagaki, who is quite possibly best known for his years at Tecmo on the Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden series of games, left Tecmo back in 2008.
Hayashi: Team Ninja taming its 'sex and violence' image in DoA 5
Team Ninja boss Yosuke Hayashi says the studio's perspective has changed since Tomonobu Itagaki left in a huff in 2008, and even though most of its 200 staff are original team members, Hayashi is calling them his "new team." The most obvious shift is the new team's focus on creating an emotional experience, rather than eye candy, Hayashi tells Gamasutra."The old team was known for making games that just had two primary elements: Sex and violence," Hayashi says. "It was very obvious. The new team, we want to take it to a new level -- to a direction that contains emotional experiences that can move players."That's right -- Team Ninja wasn't emotionally invested in all the sexy gameplay you had together, and now it's looking for something more meaningful. Hayashi may find his new, more mature gaming experience in a Dead or Alive crossover with Virtua Fighter, a la Street Fighter X Tekken, Edge reports."In terms of collaboration titles, there are staff on our team who just love fighting games and if there was any chance to do that we'd actively, possibly do that," Hayashi says."The first 3D game I played was Virtua Fighter; that's the IP I respect most. Virtua Fighter was the father of 3D gaming, so it's very well respected."For now, one thing's certain: The women in Dead or Alive 5 will be more respectable, well-rounded (emotionally) than in previous titles. "We've always had the sex factor in the game; in the past, the female characters had to have big breasts, they had to have scanty dress," Hayashi says. "In DoA 5 especially, we're trying to focus on the real women that surround us: the voice of a female, the mannerisms. We are being realistic about it."
Itagaki's depression-fueled Armageddon/Aerosmith bender
Did you think it was weird that Dead or Alive games often featured totally out-of-place Aerosmith songs? We always did, but that music choice was fully, definitively justified by Tomonobu Itagaki in a speech at DICE 2012.Itagaki explained that the first PS2 release of Dead or Alive 2 (which only came out in Japan; the one at the US PS2 launch, DOA2 Hardcore, was a remake) was unfinished, and sent to manufacturing under false pretenses. A manager approached him and asked to borrow a copy of the in-progress game to play it. "Instead," he said, "it was taken into a factory for production on that day without me knowing it." The team only had two and a half months to work on it. "To be sure, the company made a huge profit."The game had relatively low-quality, jagged graphics and a lack of extra content. Itagaki became depressed about the unfinished game. "I thought I would quit making games," he said. "Some of the staff, including me, were so depressed by this fact." In this state, he stayed home for "three or four months," drinking and repeatedly watching ... Armageddon, singing along to the sappy "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" with his daughter, which he admitted was a "stupid life." "If I close my eyes now and recall Armageddon, tears still come out," he said.So the secret to the Aerosmith songs in those DOA games is that Itagaki seriously, unironically loves Aerosmith. The real surprise is that Bruce Willis never made it into any of the games.
Devil's Third coming 'early 2013,' possibly to Wii U
Speaking to GAME Watch, Valhalla Game Studios head and apparent light sensitivity sufferer Tomonobu Itagaki offered a bit more clarification to the release window for his new action game, Devil's Third. He said that it won't be ready until early 2013. That narrows it down a bit -- we knew it was sometime in either 2012 or early 2013. Itagaki said that the game is 100% complete in terms of mechanics, but only "20-30%" done as a complete product. Devil's Third's multiplayer mode is currently playable, Itagaki said, and the team is working to boost the maximum player count to 32, at which point he will feel they have "done a good job." Itagaki is also considering a Wii U release, which is hardly surprising -- judging by the third-party sizzle reel, publisher THQ is deeply into the platform. Itagaki himself thinks the Wii U is a good idea for Japanese homes without space for multiple televisions, and is "very excited" about possibly getting his game onto the new console.
Itagaki 'would like' to offer 3D option in Devil's Third
It's still up in the air what the "third" in Devil's Third means -- could it be the third dimension? Tomonobu Itagaki told Impress Watch during a TGS 2010 interview (the game wasn't at the show in any kind of official capacity) that he was looking into 3D. "It's not a game that's built around it, but I'd like to at least offer it as an option," Andriasang translates. 3D was a hot topic at TGS 2010, something that Sony's pushing big time with the PS3. But what about the Xbox 360? Itagaki said he could do it, as long as it's "side by side" with the PS3 version, but considering his game won't be out for years -- Itagaki reiterated during the interview that the game would not launch in 2011 -- we'd suggest sitting back and seeing how this whole 3D thing plays out before diverting sunglasses and leather jacket funds to making the game 3D.
Devil's Third expected before April 2013
Previously only hinted in a slide on an investor presentation, we know have a somewhat clear idea of at least the year of release for Tomonobu Itagaki's new game, Devil's Third. "The game is currently scheduled for release in THQ's fiscal year ending March 31, 2013," according to publisher THQ's latest earnings release. Perhaps Valhalla Game Studios would be able to get the game done before then, but the kind of quality that justifies Itagaki-level boasting takes time. Besides, there are trains to build.
Itagaki: 'The era of pursuing technical strength has ended'
When he was at the top of Team Ninja, Tomonobu Itagaki was seemingly obsessed with high-end graphics and processing power, choosing to work exclusively on the first Xbox for technical reasons. With his new Valhalla studio, Itagaki has shed that aspect of his public persona as well. At a party for Famitsu Xbox 360's hundredth issue, Itagaki and Shinji Mikami recorded an installment of Itagaki's "Valhalla Freaks" column, during which the Dead or Alive creator declared that "the era of pursuing technical strength has ended," adding, "From here on out, we should pursue what makes games interesting and fun." According to Andriasang, Itagaki suggested that Japanese developers should share technology like some Western companies do. Xbox 360 marketing chief Jouji Sakaguchi then undercut Itagaki's message about pursuing technical strength by announcing that the monitors for Xbox game demos at this year's Tokyo Game Show would be larger than last year's.
Japanese devs sound off about 3DS
Famitsu recently rounded up some high-profile Japanese developers to gauge their reactions to Nintendo's 3DS hardware. According to a translation by Andriasang, the responses ran from business-minded declarations of intent to somewhat philosophical thinking-out-loud. Street Fighter IV producer Yoshinori Ono seemed to be most able to keep his excitement in check. He was collected and business-minded when he said, "We'd like to put in some ideas that make effective use of the portability." Hideo Kojima was happy that he wouldn't have to change glasses to use 3DS and mused about the implementation of CO-OPs, the multiuplayer mode featured in Peace Walker, "and other things -- elements fitting of a 3D and portable game machine." Super Monkey Ball (and Yakuza) creator Toshihiro Nagoshi, already working on a 3DS Monkey Ball game, said that he would "like to make a variety of proposals" for games that use the Wi-Fi and 3D aspects of the system. Shinji Mikami and Tomonobu Itagaki were on their way to a meeting in which they planned to talk about the system (and eat yakiniku). Others developers got more ... philosophical. Suda 51, for example, wants to make "The Next Game," in the same sense that he sees 3DS as "The Next Hardware." Bayonetta producer Hideki Kamiya hopes to make "a 3D game where you can enjoy the feeling of existence given by portable 3D." Kamiya's Platinum Games partner Atsushi Inaba, "experienced a strong jolt of the feeling 'I want to make something.'" He added, "Since the start of the game industry, there's never been a system that better fit the words 'dream' and 'next generation.'"
Devil's Third is Itagaki's bloody, bullet-filled new game
Missed Tomonobu Itagaki? After a controversial departure from Tecmo, the producer of Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden found himself with some free time ... and a job offer from THQ. Devil's Third is the debut game from his new studio, Valhalla Games -- and it features all the violence and gore that you'd want from an Itagaki game. Unlike many of his previous titles, this looks to be a multiplatfom release, gracing both the PS3 and Xbox 360. Check out the trailer, courtesy of GameTrailers, after the break.
Itagaki's Valhalla Game Studios project to be unveiled at E3
As any of us in the video game journotainment industry will tell you, the only truly dark days are the ones you don't get to spend writing about Tomonobu Itagaki. Not only is the man a constant font of great quotes, but once you make a crack about his leather jacket and sunglasses, you're halfway through your word count. Question: How long's it been since we've written about Itagaki? Answer: far, far too long. Mercifully, the drought will end at E3, where Itagaki has revealed he'll be announcing the inaugural project from Valhalla Game Studios. No hints about the new project yet, but when you've gone more than two months without sunshine in your life, you take what you can get. [Via IGN]
What Itagaki's been playing: 400 hours of Dragon Quest IX
After taking the past two years off from game development following a messy breakup with his old employer, Tecmo, Tomonobu Itagaki is back in the game (biz) as chief creative officer of Valhalla Game Studios. But what was Itagaki up to in those two years? Speaking with Famitsu (translated by 1UP), the Dead or Alive creator explained, "I spent the days doing anything I felt like, researching whatever kind of technology struck me, playing whatever games piqued my interest ... for example, I wound up playing Dragon Quest IX for about 400 hours." That's alotta slime! In fairness, the developer wasn't exclusively sinking hundreds of hours of his free time into a single DS game -- he also spent quite a bit of time traveling to game studios around the world and doing R&D work for Valhalla's next (read: first) project, claimed to be "way outside the scope of our company" by Itagaki. According to him, that next game "will earn Valhalla Game Studios its place in history," and he intends it to sell at least four million copies. But for now, he's got a model train set to build with some of his friends. "I'm planning to rent out some space and build a seriously big train layout, 7 or so meters (23 feet) in length. There are some professionals in that field among my friends, so I'm thinking about building something really decent together with them and having people come over and play with the results. It'd be a business, though I'd make it free for children -- kids are pretty rough with model trains, but I'll just have to deal with that." Kids these days.
Solved mysteries: Itagaki's leather jacket and sunglasses
You may think that, being born into this world, Tomonobu Itagaki escaped the womb wearing a pair of sunglasses and one bitchin' leather jacket -- and you may well be right. Back then, medical records simply did not document such phenomena. Also, if the records did, we wouldn't know because we can't read Japanese. Let's just say he did. Moving on, it would seem Itagaki doesn't have to don the shades and treated animal skin for every picture taken, as this interview with his new outfit, Valhalla Game Studios, shows. The leather and sunglasses are more part of his press persona, which stems from his original dream of being "a pro gambler of mahjong." "If you let someone read your eyes, you may lose many chances to win," Itagaki said. "So I came to wearing sunglasses outside. Basically." You know, it's a simple explanation, but it takes some of the magic out of it, don't you think? Regardless, head on over and give the interview a read for insight into how Valhalla set up the new office work flow and how it plans to get its upcoming not-a-fighter onto store shelves. [Via Siliconera]
'Valhalla Game Studios' headed up by Tomonobu Itagaki
Tomonobu Itagaki has revealed, if not his new game, the place where he'll be making his new game: Valhalla Game Studios. In a Famitsu interview (translated by 1UP), the Dead or Alive creator announced that he is in charge of the development department for the new studio, created by Tecmo alum Satoshi Kanematsu. The studio is staffed by about 50 people, a number Itagaki told Famitsu was intentional. "That may expand a bit, but it's not going to be a 100-person company," he said. "50 people working for two years can produce something better than 100 people working for one year. 100 times 1 and 50 times 2 may produce the same number, but not in creative businesses like this one." Larger, public companies, he said, "have to prove their worth to the stock market on a year-by-year basis, and that means they can't focus all-out on quality." Whatever Itagaki's new game is, it won't be a fighter. For one thing, "I already made Dead or Alive, the best fighting game in the world, in my last company." Besides, he said, "Fighting games are kind of at another dead end right now" without another DOA-type disruption.
Itagaki's suit against Tecmo ends in settlement
Finally, Tomonobu Itagaki can have a restful night of sleep in his sunglasses. The ongoing legal dispute between the Dead or Alive creator and former employer Tecmo, over unpaid salary and bonuses, has ended in a settlement. Itagaki announced the resolution of the dispute in a public statement. Itagaki didn't specify the terms, but we can only imagine a copy of Dead or Alive Paradise was involved. "How could I resist?" we imagine him saying, "It's my own private paradise, in the palm of my hand!" As for things Itagaki actually said, the statement (per Andriasang's translation) revealed that he's working on something new: "I cannot wait for the day when I can announce to everyone the new title that I'm currently conceiving." Itagaki's aiming for "world class entertainment" with "a greater depth of play than before."
