It's been some time since we've heard anything about Team Ninja's Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden franchises, sure, but if Fumihiko Yasuda has his way, that may be about to change.
The last we heard from Yasuda, he'd said that Team Ninja hopes to eventually "deliver some good news" regarding Ninja Gaiden, which hasn't seen a mainline installment since 2012's Ninja Gaiden 3. However, that was back in early 2021, and there's not been much since.
Until now, that is. According to Ruliweb (thanks, VGC), Yasuda recently presented a panel at the G-Star conference in Busan, and whilst he was tight-lipped about the specific details, he did, however, share a slide with screenshots from the studio's Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive franchises, hinting that he'd have more news to share "as soon as possible".
- 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
- Over a year after Sega revealed its grand IP revival, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is officially coming this August from the devs behind the incredible brawler Streets of Rage 4
Although the slide itself doesn't seem to be showing off any unseen concept or artwork from either series, the slide was titled "The future of Team Ninja - Reboot of popular series", making it clear that a "reboot" of either - or even both - franchises could be underway.
Does this mean there's definitely a new Ninja Gaiden in the works - or indeed any sort of Ninja Gaiden or Dead or Alive activity? Maybe. Maybe not. It certainly looks like Yasuda wants to tell us more soon, though. Let's watch this space…
That said, it's not like Team Ninja doesn't have enough work to be getting on with. Sony's latest State of Play stream was stacked, with one of the standouts proving Rise of the Ronin, a new action-RPG from Team Ninja.
It's not just fans that are hopeful about the upcoming game, though, as Koei Tecmo is equally optimistic about the game being a big part of its future. Koei Tecmo – of which Team Ninja is a division – hopes Rise of the Ronin will sell five million copies "as one of the important strategic pillars of the company's mid-term growth strategy".
Yasuda revealed in a Sony blog that work on Rise of the Ronin initially kicked off seven years ago, with Sony offering support throughout the years. "The development has progressed slowly and freely, much like the spirit of a Ronin," Yasuda said at the time.
Here are all the new games of 2023 (and beyond).
