After 16 years, veteran game director and the head of the fighting games series Dead or Alive Yohei Shimbori (pictured left) has retired from his position at Tecmo Koei. This new was broke via Shimbori's personal Twitter account on March 31 where he thanked the company and the people he worked with.

(translated) "...I have retired from Koei Tecmo Games today. Having been involved in DOA for about 16 years, I was pleased with it, and sometimes I couldn't live up to my expectations. We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude for the support and support of many people. Thank you very much."

ご報告です。
本日をもってコーエーテクモゲームスを退職いたしました。DOAに約16年携わらせていただき、喜んで頂けたこともあれば、ご期待に応えられないこともありました。多くの方々に支えていただき大変お世話になりましたこと、この場を借りて篤く御礼申し上げます。
ありがとうございました。

— しんぼり (@shimbori_x) March 31, 2021

Shimbori's departure follows a year after the last (and unsurprisingly abrupt) end of the roadmap for Dead or Alive 6, the latest installment of the fighting game franchise. DOA6, in an effort to design itself as a strong representative for official tournament play, failed to meet expectations with the community with a major shift in its gameplay philosophy from its predecessor Dead or Alive 5 Last Round and returning its very pricey DLC season passes and storefront catalogue. Its player base dwindled considerably in mere weeks.

With Dead Or Alive 6's premature end, it can be assumed that the staff are aiming to restructure the franchise back towards a more successful route as eSports in the fighting game community seeks to evolve itself.