It appears that the time has come to bid Team Ninja, as it once was, a fond farewell. The former home of Tomonobu Itagaki, and studio behind the Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive franchises, Team Ninja has been divided and renamed by Tecmo Koei. It is now called “Ichigaya Development Group 1” and “Ichigaya Development Group 1.”
Pretty catchy, right?
Yosuke Hayashi, who took over as head of Team Ninja after Itagaki left, will now serve as the “Head of Ichigaya Development Group 1” while Keisuke Kikiuchi, former Team Ninja Senior Manager, will now be “Head of Ichigaya Development Group 2.”
It is not known whether the iconic Team Ninja marquee will disappear from their games going forward, but it’s clear that Tecmo Koei wanted to shake up the organizational structure of a studio that, one could argue, had begun to stagnate. Most pertinent to gamers, though, how will this change affect the upcoming Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z?
Source: Kotaku