Tokyo - Tomonobu Itagaki, the star designer at Japanese video game publisher Tecmo whose Team Ninja created the "Ninja Gaiden" and "Dead or Alive" franchises, has announced his resignation from the company and a lawsuit against his former employer over alleged unpaid bonuses, IGN.com reported.

In a statement, Itagaki claims that when he confronted Tecmo president Yoshimi Yasuda about the alleged $1.42 million in unpaid bonuses, Yasuda said, "If you are dissatisfied with the decision not to pay the bonuses, either quit the company or sue it."

Tecmo responded to the lawsuit in a statement, translated from the Japanese by IGN.com.

"In the statement, Tecmo denies responsibility to pay the completion bonus mentioned by Itagaki in his complaint," according to IGN.com.

"The company claims to have a bonus system in place, and states that it paid Itagaki this bonus every year. The bonus Itagaki mentioned in his complaint is, according to the Tecmo statement, separate from this and is something from the time of previous management."

Tecmo also stated that Team Ninja will continue to develop titles despite the departure of Itagaki.

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