A few days ago, Tomonobu Itagaki, the director of Ninja Gaiden and Dead Or Alive series, sent a letter to the press announcing that he has quit his job and filed a law suit against Tecmo's president Yoshimi Yasuda, seeking JPY 148 million (USD 1.42 million) in damages over "unpaid completion bonuses" and for "disingenuous statements" made towards him.
Itagaki's letter reads in full:
"I, Tomonobu Itagaki, hereby announce that on the 14th of May 2008 I filed a complaint in the Tokyo District Court against Tecmo Co, Ltd for unpaid completion bonuses, and against the President of Tecmo, Yoshimi Yasuda, for such unlawful acts as unreasonable and disingenuous statements made towards me, claiming damages in total of 148 million yen."
"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.' In addition, he made demeaning remarks about me to my subordinates and colleagues, causing me significant emotional distress and worsening my personal relationships and work environment. Thus, I have no choice but to resign from Tecmo Co, Ltd."
"The conduct of Tecmo Co, Ltd and its president Yoshimi Yasuda towards me has been unbefitting of a publicly-listed company. I have filed this lawsuit with a strong intent to question the social responsibility of Tecmo Co, Ltd and its President Yoshimi Yasuda."
Word in the street has it that up to 36 "key members" of Team Ninja (Ninja Gaiden design team) are about to quit their jobs and file a class action lawsuit against Tecmo for the same reasons.
In its official statement, Tecmo said that it "would like to assure its loyal fans that Team Ninja, known for its top-selling and critically acclaimed Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive franchises, is intact and, as a matter of fact, has several new projects already underway."
Another problem for Tecmo is that Japanese law states that a publically-traded company must report any lawsuit filed against it to the shareholders on the same business day. Tecmo clearly failed to follow that law as they withheld all info regarding Itagaki's lawsuit until he revealed it by his letter to the press.
