Talking to CVG, Team Ninja game designer Tomonobu Itagaki confirmed that after Ninja Gaiden II, he's finished with the franchise, at least in the short term. His comments also suggest that the Dead or Alive fighting franchise is also ending at DoA 4.

"I've done everything I wanted to accomplish with this franchise and all of my closest colleagues are satisfied and agree that we've done as much as we can with it," said Itagaki.

Always outspoken, Itagaki was also critical of Ninja Gaiden Sigma, calling it "no good." He added that if Ninja Gaiden II were to ever release on the PS3 "it would be a loss of face for everyone involved."

"All you need to do is play Ninja Gaiden II and then try and play Sigma afterwards and you'll see why," commented Itagaki. "Despite the fact that it's on a 'next-generation' console there's no evolution whatsoever. That was made not by me, but one of my sub-ordinates who basically tried to copy the success of Ninja Gaiden."

After adding that the issue of violence in games doesn't bother him, he commented on Grand Theft Auto IV. While typically acerbic towards games he hasn't designed, Itagaki is surprisingly complimentary of the best selling franchise.

"I think it's made extremely well and is a fun game. People always use that as an example of violence in games. I don't think there's anyone who takes their job as seriously as the guys who make that game. You only have to look at all the detail in there," ventured Itagaki.