The Ninja Gaiden franchise is back thanks to Phil Spencer

According to Team Ninja producer Fumihiko Yasuda, the studio has long desired to create a new installment in the Ninja Gaiden series but struggled to settle on a concept. The project gained momentum when Koei Tecmo president Hisashi Koinuma and PlatinumGames head Atsushi Inaba discussed it, eventually involving Phil Spencer. Spencer proposed a collaboration between the three companies to kickstart the development of the game.

Phil Spencer revealed that discussions about a sequel began in 2017 during his initial talks with Team Ninja. After years of deliberation, they identified PlatinumGames as the ideal partner, given their expertise in crafting fast-paced action games like Bayonetta and NieR: Automata.

Last week, Ninja Gaiden 4 was officially announced. Alongside this exciting news, a re-release of Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, an enhanced version of the Xbox 360 classic, was unexpectedly made available on Xbox, PS5, and PC.

The first trailer for Ninja Gaiden 4 showcases Ryu Hayabusa, the iconic ninja, taking the lead in this action-packed slasher. The gameplay trailer hints at new mechanics not seen in previous entries, such as the ability to swiftly navigate through environments using wires and rails.

While DOOM: The Dark Ages was the main highlight at Developer_Direct, Ninja Gaiden 4 also captured significant attention. This eagerly awaited sequel to Koei Tecmo's beloved series is set to launch in the fall of 2025.