Dead or Alive Director Yohei Shimbori Quit Koei Tecmo

Dead or Alive series director Yohei Shimbori announced that he resigned from Koei Tecmo Games. The news came from Shimbori’s private Twitter account on March 31, 2021. Shimbori worked on Dead or Alive for over 16 years and served as Director of the mainline fighting game series since Dead or Alive Dimensions.

We have translated Yohei Shimbori’s full statement below.

I have an announcement.
As of today, I have resigned from Koei Tecmo Games. I have been involved with DOA for about 16 years. While there have been times when others have been pleased [with my work], there have also been times when I have not been able to meet expectations. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincerest gratitude to the many people who have supported and helped me over the years.
Thank you very much.

Outside of the Xtreme series, Shimbori served as Director on the majority of Dead or Alive‘s mainline entries over the past decade. He directed Dead or Alive Dimensions, Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate and Last Round, and Dead or Alive 6. As part of Team Ninja, Shimbori worked his way up the ladder at Koei Tecmo from his beginnings as a tester and planner on Dead or Alive Ultimate.

Shimbori did not announce his next career move. However, fans can check out his latest game, Dead or Alive 6, on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.