By Tom Ivan
Up to three dozen Team Ninja employees are rumored to be following in the footsteps of former boss Tomonobu Itagaki by leaving the developer and filing class-action lawsuits against Tecmo for unpaid bonuses.
According to 1UP, more than 36 employees could leave the developer and seek compensation for unpaid bonuses for completed games. The news comes just weeks after Ninja Gaiden director Itagaki announced his intention to stand down from his post on July 1. He said that he had filed a 148 million yen suit against Tecmo for unpaid bonuses and against the company’s president for “unreasonable and disingenuous statements” made towards him.
Itagaki’s comments were met with a swift rebuke from Tecmo, which accused the Ninja Gaiden II creator of "distortions". The company also said that Team Ninja was intact and working on several new projects.
In the wake of Itagaki’s departure Tecmo shares took a ten percent nosedive.
