Tonight’s Xbox Developer Direct has kicked off with the reveal of Ninja Gaiden 4, a fresh mainline entry in the legendary action game series in development by Team Ninja and PlatinumGames.
It’s the first new entry in the series for 13 years, and is set to launch this autumn on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, including on Xbox Game Pass.
Before then, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black – described as the “definitive version” of the 2008 Xbox 360 classic – has been revealed and shadow dropped, and is available to play now on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, including via Xbox Game Pass.
While a direct sequel to 2012’s Ninja Gaiden 3, there’s still a fresh protagonist here – Yakumo – to ease new players in, as well as a new, rain-soaked cyberpunk version of Tokyo to slice through, changed due to the growth of the series’ underworld.
For long-term fans, master ninja Ryu Hayabusa will return and play a “significant role in the story”, Team Ninja has said. Indeed, the character will even be playable at certain points.
“Fans have long been asking us for a new Ninja Gaiden game,” Team Ninja boss Fumihiko Yasuda said. “Koei Tecmo’s president, Hisashi Koinuma, and PlatinumGames’ CEO, Atsushi Inaba, share a close relationship, which led us to explore a collaborative development effort.
“PlatinumGames had the expertise we felt was ideal for working on Ninja Gaiden,” Yasuda continued, “and with support from Microsoft’s Phil-san [Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming], the three companies were able to take the next step towards creating a brand-new Ninja Gaiden.”
2025 marks Team Ninja’s 30th anniversary, and thus the developer has dubbed this to be “The Year of the Ninja”. (No one mention Pokémon already beat them to it with The Year of Eevee.)
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