Phil Spencer Revives Ninja Gaiden Franchise

Team Ninja's producer, Fumihiko Yasuda, revealed that the studio had been eager to develop a new installment in their renowned series but struggled to settle on a concept. The turning point came when Koei Tecmo's president, Hisashi Koinuma, and PlatinumGames' head, Atsushi Inaba, discussed the project. This conversation led to the involvement of Phil Spencer, who proposed a collaboration among the three companies to bring the game to life.

Phil Spencer confirmed that the discussions with Team Ninja about a potential sequel started back in 2017. After years of deliberation, they identified PlatinumGames as the ideal partner, given their expertise in crafting fast-paced action games like Bayonetta and NieR: Automata.

Last week saw the announcement of Ninja Gaiden 4, alongside the surprise release of Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, an enhanced version of the Xbox 360 classic, now available on Xbox, PS5, and PC.

The first trailer showcased Ryu Hayabusa as the protagonist in this action-packed slasher. The gameplay trailer hinted at new mechanics in Ninja Gaiden 4, such as the ability to swiftly navigate through environments using wires and rails, features not seen in previous entries of the series.

While DOOM: The Dark Ages stole the spotlight at Developer_Direct, Ninja Gaiden 4 also garnered significant attention. This much-anticipated sequel from Koei Tecmo is set to launch in the fall of 2025.