Following the announcement Ninja Gaiden 4 during the recent Xbox Developer_Direct, Team Ninja producer Fumihiko Yasuda revealed that the idea to team up with PlatinumGames was Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer’s idea.
Speaking to Game Watch, Yasuda talks about how difficult it was for Team Ninja to come up with a plan regarding the development of the game. He also mentions that Koei Tecmo president Hisashi Koinuma and PlatinumGames president Atsushi Inaba being good friends was important.
“I think everyone knows that the Ninja Gaiden series has been on hold for more than a decade, but Team Ninja has been considering making a new title for a long time,” Yasuda said (via DeepL translation). “However, we were having difficulty deciding on a plan. Then Koei Tecmo president Hisashi Koinuma and PlatinumGames president Atsushi Inaba, who are from the same generation and are good friends, had a chance to discuss the matter.”
Yasuda then spoke about the collective experience both the developers had with making fast-paced action games, from Team Ninja’s own experience with the Ninja Gaiden franchise and PlatinumGames’ work Nier: Automata and Bayonetta.
“After that, Phil Spencer from Microsoft suggested that the three companies – PlatinumGames, Koei Tecmo and Microsoft – work together on a new numbered title in the Ninja Gaiden series, and that’s how the project got started,” he continued. “We have developed action games ourselves, but because we were going to be making a new Ninja Gaiden for the first time in over a decade, PlatinumGames had already made several great action titles, such as Bayonetta and NieR: Automata, so we wanted to work with them, and that’s how the collaboration began.”
Spencer himself revealed in an interview earlier this month that plans for a new title in the Ninja Gaiden franchise actually started around “six or seven years ago”. He spoke about the relationships he had with various game publishers in Japan, and after a lot of conversations in-person as well as online, the plans for a sequel were put into motion.
Ninja Gaiden 4 was announced with a trailer, and will be making its way to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S this Fall. The title will also be available through Game Pass.
The latest entry in the franchise will feature a brand new protagonist in the forum of Yakumo – a young ninja from the Raven Clan. Series protagonist Ryu Hayabusa will also be present in the story and will likely play a pivotal role.
Ninja Gaiden 4 was announced alongside the launch of a remaster of Ninja Gaiden 2 called Ninja Gaiden 2 Black. The game is available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Check out our review for more details.
