Koei Tecmo announces Ninja Gaiden 4

Team Ninja and Platinum Games announced Ninja Gaiden 4 as the Xbox Developer Direct’s surprise game. Despite the numbering, Team Ninja said that Ninja Gaiden 4 is not quite a direct sequel, as it features a new protagonist named Yakuma, who acts in opposition to Ryu Hayabusa, the series’ previous hero.

“A significant amount of time has passed since Ninja Gaiden 3, and players will find themselves arriving in a cruelly transformed Tokyo,” producer Yuji Nakao said in a Xbox blog post. “One of the main themes of this story is the return of the dark dragon, which has thrown the city into chaos. Within these unsettling conditions, Yakumo must face his enemies, as well as the formidable Master Ninja himself, Ryu. Hayabusa.”

Ninja Gaiden 4 is set in a futuristic Tokyo overrun with monsters from another world and threatened by the Dark Dragon, the embodiment of hatred and a recurring antagonist in Koei Tecmo’s action series. Yakuma uses a new set of ninja skills to navigate the city and its dangers, including a wall jump, Tony Hawk-style rail grinding, and wire skills that also play a part in combat.

Yakumo can switch between the Bloodraven style, a variation on Ninja Gaiden’s classic sword fight, and the Nue style, characterized by quick attacks with far-reaching ranges that result in frantic battles, Koei Tecmo said was a new experience for both the studio and the series. But Platinum Games, the team behind the Bayonetta trilogy, Astral Chain and NieR: Automata, is well-versed in creating this kind of high-speed action game.

“One of the main differences between modern action games and Ninja Gaiden lies in the sense of justice when confronting enemies,” said Nakao. “Enemies are designed to be masters of defense and experts in relentless aggression, but players never feel like they’re at an unfair disadvantage. There’s a sense of balance that’s been passed down through the series that transcends today’s trends.”

Ninja Gaiden 4 is expected to be released in autumn 2025 for Xbox Series X|S, PC and PlayStation 5.

Koei Tecmo also announced that Ninja Gaiden 2: Black, a remake of the series’ second game, is now available for PC and consoles. Ninja Gaiden 2: Black features improved graphics compared to the original 2008 game and quality of life improvements to character and weapon upgrades.