The Ninja Gaiden franchise is back thanks to Phil Spencer

Team Ninja's long-awaited Ninja Gaiden 4 is finally in development, thanks to a collaborative effort between Team Ninja, Koei Tecmo, and PlatinumGames, facilitated by Xbox's Phil Spencer. The project, discussed since 2017, initially stalled due to a lack of a cohesive concept. However, conversations between Koei Tecmo's Hisashi Koinuma, PlatinumGames' Atsushi Inaba, and Spencer ultimately led to the three companies uniting to bring the game to life. PlatinumGames' expertise in fast-paced action titles like Bayonetta and NieR: Automata proved to be the perfect complement to Team Ninja's vision.

The surprise announcement of Ninja Gaiden 4 was accompanied by the unexpected release of Ninja Gaiden 2: Black, a remastered version of the Xbox 360 classic, now available on Xbox, PlayStation 5, and PC.

Initial trailers showcase Ryu Hayabusa as the protagonist, promising a thrilling action-slasher experience. Gameplay footage hints at innovative mechanics, including agile traversal via wires and rails, setting Ninja Gaiden 4 apart from its predecessors.

While DOOM: The Dark Ages dominated the Developer_Direct event, the revelation of Ninja Gaiden 4, slated for an autumn 2025 release, generated considerable excitement.