Phil Spencer Revives Ninja Gaiden Franchise

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 breakthrough came when Koei Tecmo president Hisashi Koinuma and PlatinumGames head Atsushi Inaba discussed the project, eventually involving Phil Spencer. Spencer proposed a collaboration among the three companies to kickstart development on the game.

Phil Spencer confirmed that the discussions began back in 2017 during his initial conversations with Team Ninja about a potential sequel. After years of deliberation, they identified the ideal partner in PlatinumGames, known for their expertise in fast-paced action games such as 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—unexpectedly became available on Xbox, PS5, and PC.

The debut trailer hints that Ryu Hayabusa, the iconic ninja, will once again take center stage in this action-packed title. The gameplay trailer reveals that Ninja Gaiden 4 will introduce several innovative mechanics not seen in previous entries, such as the ability to swiftly navigate through environments using wires and rails.

While DOOM: The Dark Ages captured much of the attention at Developer_Direct, Ninja Gaiden 4, the anticipated sequel to Koei Tecmo's beloved series, also made a significant impact during the event. Fans can look forward to its release in the fall of 2025.