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PlatinumGames revealed as Ninja Gaiden 4 developer as classic entry gets a surprise remaster

Microsoft kicked off the Xbox Developer_Direct presentation today by revealing what was the mystery game it kept under wraps until the show. This turned out to be two games, with Team Ninja announcing the return of Ninja Gaiden in 2025. Check out the Ninja Gaiden 4 reveal trailer above.

Other than the sudden new mainline entry announcement, another surprise was the reveal of PlatinumGames as the developer. The studio behind games like Bayonetta and Nier: Automata is adding its fast-paced action experience into this classic franchise.

“Koei Tecmo’s President, Hisashi Koinuma, and PlatinumGames’ CEO, Atsushi Inaba, share a close relationship, which led us to explore a collaborative development effort," says head of Team Ninja Fumihiko Yasuda. "PlatinumGames had the expertise we felt was ideal for working on NINJA GAIDEN, and with support from Microsoft’s Phil-san [Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming], the three companies were able to take the next step towards creating a brand-new NINJA GAIDEN.”

This entry will introduce Yakumo as the new protagonist, but Ryu Hayabusa will appear in the storyline as a major character, who will also be playable at points.

Ninja Gaiden 4 is releasing this fall on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5. It will also hit Xbox Game Pass on day one.

Ninja Gaiden

Following the Ninja Gaiden 4 reveal, Microsoft and Team Ninja also had another surprise, with the duo announcing the shadow drop of Ninja Gaiden 2 Black. This remaster of the 2008-released action game carries the classic's challenging gameplay and gore, while also adding features from the Sigma 2 release.

"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," adds Yasuda regarding this surprise release. "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.”

Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is out today, January 23, across PC, consoles, and Xbox Game Pass.

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