In case you blinked and missed it, Tomonobu Itagaki, famed for his work on the Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden franchises, had announced that he will leave Team Ninja come July.

He also made the sentiments of his departure clear when he slapped Tecmo with a lawsuit when he made the announcement.

The statement he released announcing his departure revealed that Tecmo failed to deliver on a completion bonus for Dead or Alive 4. Tecmo responded to this, explaining that the promised bonus was made by the company's previous management.

Things started to spin out of control after that. As many as three dozen Team Ninja members announced their departure from the company due to their own gripes with the management, saying that for years, they've been shorthanded the pay they were due. Not soon after, over 300 Tecmo employees followed Itagaki's example and took their issues with the company to court.

In an effort to minimize further damage Itagaki may cause, Tecmo has issued a gagging order on him. Basically, they just told him to shut up in legalese. Famitsu reports the contents of the gagging order:

• He is not allowed to take confidential information outside of the company.
• He is not allowed to talk about the business of the company or criticize the business of the company.
• He is not allowed to make inflammatory remarks which may hurt the company’s business.
• He is not allowed to talk to the media regarding the company’s business.