Team Ninja "more organic" after Itagaki's departure
Studio finds new ways to work
After the widely publicised departure of Tomonobu Itagaki from Team Ninja many wondered what would become of the studio without its iconic creative figurehead.
Team Ninja's Yosuke Hayashi has been talking about how the studio has changed after they parted ways with Itagaki.
Hayashi-san told IndustryGamers: "After my senpai left, I actually expressed to the company that I didn't want people going around calling us the 'new' Team Ninja. I've been with the team both before and after the moves, and while some people left, that doesn't really change what Team Ninja is doing. Calling us the 'new' Team Ninja would be turning our backs on that history, and I really didn't want to do that. That's why we changed nothing, not even the logo."
He continued: "The old Team Ninja had a certain braintrust, a group of a few people, and game development tended to always revolve around them. That meant we couldn't really expand our development lines much, but with Team Ninja today, each developer can think for themselves on what they can do to make better games. There aren't many studios that can think organically like that. I really feel like we're working together and combining our forces to create the best games we can, and in that way, I feel confident in saying that Team Ninja right now is absolutely the most powerful team in history."
