Dev behind the legendarily horny Dead or Alive series politely cites "impact on safety" while requesting fans stop sending romantic gifts to fictional characters

Having 12,000 abs isn't all fun and muscle – it's hard work, as hottie creator and Ninja Gaiden developer Koei T🌌ecmo discovered after receiving too many gifts addressed to its fictional characters. The company is once again standing up for itself, repeating in it will not accept Valentine's Day presents addressed to staff or game protagonists.

"We are very grateful for these gifts," Koei Tecmo writes in the announcement , and according to a DeepL translation. "However, due to the difficulty of rec🐲eiving gifts and the impact on safety, we are declining to accept gifts on Valentine's Day and [reciprocal 🐟Japanese holiday] White Day this year."

"We appreciate your understanding and cooperation," t💛🍸he publisher continues.

Glancing over Koei Tecmo's roster of chiseled warriors and magnificent ninjas in shapewear – especially in the 1996 fighting game series Dead or Alive – I can see what has fans s𒁏tocking up on red roses and milk chocolate. But, boundaries, people. Dead o♏r Alive teen princess Kasumi, who apparently can't use her dexterity to combat against the wispy bikinis she keeps getting put into, has suffered enough without having to peruse unwanted holiday cards.

While Automaton notes it's common in Japan for fans to send their favorite characters Valentine's Day treats, Koei Tecmo seems to have had its fill of longing. Earlier this month, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:the company revealed it takes action against up to 3,000 pꦓieces of fan art a year, in part because some of it is way too risqué. It says it sees its female characters "like daughters" – daughters in bikinis, I guess.

Over 10 years later, Ninja Gaiden 4 is in the works with help from Nier: Automata and Bayonetta studio Platinum Games – and a Ninja Gaiden 2 remaster is out now.

Ashley is a Senior Writer at GamesRadar+. She's been a staff writer at Kotaku and Invers⛄e, too, and she's written freelance pieces about horror and women in games for sites like Rolling Stone, Vulture, IGN, and Polygon. When she's not covering gaming news, she's usually working on expanding her doll collection while watching Saw movies one through 11.