A new Shinobi game was one of the five titles Sega teased in its big "Power Surge" reveal in 2023, and as part of PlayStation State of Play today the publisher finally lifted the veil for real. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is a 2D action platformer from the devs behind the fantastic brawler Streets of Rage 4, and it's due out this year.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is set to launch for $29.99 USD across PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, and PC via Steam on August 29, 2025. It's being developed by Lizardcube, the studio that previously brought us the great Master System remake Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap and co-developed the even better Streets of Rage 4 alongside Dotemu and Guard Crush.
We previously saw a few seconds of "early development footage" of Art of Vengeance in that Power Surge trailer, but now we've gotten some more detail on what to expect. The game stars Joe Musashi on a quest for vengeance across "more than a dozen" stages featuring "challenging platforming puzzles," according to a press release. Combat will be combo-driven, and tools like "Katana Oborozuki, Kunai, Ninjutsu arts, and Ninpo" will give you some options in how you defeat your foes.
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- The other devs behind the best retro beat-em-up in recent memory are making a co-op roguelike brawler that "channels the spirit" of Capcom's classic D&D games
A Digital Deluxe version of the game will be available for $39.99, featuring early access, a starter pack with some in-game goodies, a digital art book and soundtrack, and a DLC stage "featuring bosses based on iconic SEGA villains" set to launch in early 2026.
Shinobi was one of the central series in Sega's golden era through the late '80s and early '90s, and Shinobi 3 in particular is broadly regarded as one of the defining classics of the Mega Drive/Genesis platform. The series has gotten a few attempted revivals over the decades on the PS2 and 3DS, but Art of Vengeance will be the first new Shinobi game in 14 years.
On top of that, it was previously announced that Sega is making a Shinobi movie from the Extraction director.
