Ninja Gaiden 4’s Announcement Marks The Return Of The King Of Difficult Video Games

Admit it, you really didn’t see this one coming. The legendary Ninja Gaiden series making a comeback out of nowhere, and that too in a collaborative effort with PlatinumGames, which is the famed studio behind so many noteworthy action IPs, including Bayonetta and Nier, was amazing to witness on screen.

None of us expected such an announcement to come forth—especially after it had already been stated in an interview with Team Ninja last year that there are no current plans to revisit the Ninja Gaiden series at the moment. Guess the devs were packing a surprise, and not just any surprise, but a full-fledged bombshell that’s coming later in the year for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

While we have no plans at the moment, the NINJA GAIDEN and DEAD OR ALIVE are IPs that are important to us, so we are always considering the possibility,” said Team Ninja’s Department Manager in an interview last year.

What’s even more astonishing is that there’s no timed exclusivity for the title for PlayStation 5 despite it being published by Xbox Game Studios. An odd time we live in, where Microsoft Gaming’s CEO thinks Xbox titles coming to PlayStation is “good for business.” 

Had somebody told me this at the time of Halo 2 coming out, I would’ve smacked them in the head, but oh well. Life goes on too fast.  

Ninja Gaiden 4 Looks Absolutely Phenomenal And I’m Glad The Trailer Wasn’t All CGI

So, what I’m glad about the most here is that both Team Ninja and PlatinumGames decided to show Ninja Gaiden 4 off to the world in one of the best possible ways, and there’s no doubting that. I’m super happy about the fact that the reveal trailer revolved around actual gameplay and wasn’t just a 30-second teaser clip that went nowhere and revolved around cryptic footage going over the forthcoming title’s plot.  

One of the key differences between modern action games and NINJA GAIDEN lies in the sense of fairness when confronting enemies. Enemies are designed to be masters of defense and experts of unrelenting aggression, but players never feel they’re at an unfair disadvantage. There’s a sense of balance that’s been passed down through the series, transcending current-day trends,” said Yuji Nakao, Ninja Gaiden’s 4 producer and PlatinumGames director.  

What we actually got is rip-roaring combat gameplay in traditional Ninja Gaiden fashion, and that too with a seemingly dual-protagonist system. One of the most easily noticeable things about the reveal trailer is that it introduces a new ninja in town, while also staying in touch with the franchise legend whom we all know and love, Ryu. Said ninja goes by the name of Yakumo, and as per the trailer, he and Ryu will find their interests conflicted.  

A significant amount of time has passed since NINJA GAIDEN 3, and players will find themselves arriving in a gruesomely transformed Tokyo. One of the key themes of this story is the return of the Dark Dragon, which has plunged the city into chaos. Within these unsettling conditions, Yakumo will have to face off against his foes, as well as the formidable Master Ninja himself, Ryu Hayabusa,” said the producer. 

Of course, that is just to possibly build up suspense and hype for the game, because it’s quite likely that the two will end up teaming up anyway in an attempt to take down the bigger in-lore threats.

Reservations Prior To Ninja Gaiden 4’s Reveal

Now, a new Ninja Gaiden title is something that the world has been eyeing for a long time now, so naturally, concerns grew over time with regard to Team Ninja’s next mainline Ninja Gaiden rendition. Just to jog your memory a little, it’s been a whopping 13 years since any major game pertaining to the series came out.

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First off, in an era where games like Lords of the Fallen, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, and Lies of P have thrived, there’s no doubt that every developer and their grandma wants to make a tight Soulslike title, coming fresh off the concept put forth by iconic Japanese developer FromSoftware. Little do many realize until it’s too late that getting this formula right is not an easy job. 

In fact, there’s only a handful of Soulslikes out there in a sea of different options that stand on business any day of the week, unhinged. In such a dire state, Ninja Gaiden 4 was expected to have borrowed some Soulslike elements, especially in the difficulty department.

Looking at the reveal trailer, I’m pretty confident this won’t be the case anymore. First off, one of the other big surprises is that PlatinumGames is in on the fun, collaborating with Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo to polish up the upcoming action title. You could see hints of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance spread throughout the reveal trailer for that reason. and I’m stoked things are going to go the way they are. 

Old habits die hard, don’t they? 

One Of The Biggest Surprises Of The Xbox Developer_Direct Event 

The announcement in question genuinely came out of nowhere as we sat through the Xbox Developer_Direct event. But hey, it’s double the package here as Xbox just shadow-dropped Ninja Gaiden 2 Black alongside the surprise reveal of Ninja Gaiden 4. The former is a remaster of the original Ninja Gaiden 2 that came out in 2008 for the Xbox 360 exclusively, and starting today, you can grab that title on Xbox Game Pass for free. 

This simultaneous announcement and same-day release alongside NINJA GAIDEN 4 might have caught some people by surprise. The biggest reason for developing NINJA GAIDEN 2 Black was to address the concerns of core fans who might be wondering, ‘What’s going to happen to Ryu Hayabusa?’ We also wanted to give players something to enjoy as they wait for the release of NINJA GAIDEN 4. We chose NINJA GAIDEN 2 because it stands as one of the most solid action games in the series. We added ‘Black’ to the title to signal to fans that this is the definitive version, much like NINJA GAIDEN Black was for the first game.”

When Is Ninja Gaiden 4 Coming Out? 

Ninja Gaiden 4 is coming out in 2025, though the exact release month of the game is currently unknown. Yuji Nakao has confirmed in a recent blog post that the title is about “70-80% complete” already and is currently in the polishing phase. It’s quite likely that Team Ninja will push out a release date by May this year.

I’m incredibly grateful that we were able to announce NINJA GAIDEN 4. As a huge fan of the NINJA GAIDEN series myself, this is a truly exciting moment. The game is currently about 70–80% complete, and we’ve entered the polishing phase. We’ll continue to work closely with Team NINJA, ensuring every detail meets the expectations of fans. There’s more information coming that will help you understand just how fun and exciting this game is, so please stay tuned. As both a fan and a developer, I’ll do my utmost to deliver an experience that satisfies everyone.”

Additionally, it’s been said that Team Ninja is currently exploring ways to allow players to get their hands on Ninja Gaiden 4 ahead of time in the form of a playtest. No further details have been given out as of yet, but do stay tuned to official signals for the latest updates. 

Ninja Gaiden 4 will come out for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC later in the year hopefully, arriving a whopping 13 years more or less after the release of Ninja Gaiden 3 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.