Ninja Gaiden 4 emerges as big surprise of Xbox Developer Direct show. It's cyberpunk fruit of collaboration between NiOh and Bayonetta devs
A new installment of the Ninja Gaiden series has been announced. Team Ninja studio is collaborating with the developers of the Bayonetta series on it.
As part of the Xbox Developer_Direct 2025 stream, a new installment of a well-known series was announced, which will be developed by Team Ninja studio - creators of such games as NiOh, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, or Rise of the Ronin. Together with PlatinumGames (the team responsible for the Bayonetta series), they are working on Ninja Gaiden 4.
You can see the first trailer for the fourth main installment of this action game series below.
Ninja Gaiden 4 is set to be released this fall on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. The game will be available on PC/Xbox Game Pass on day one.
Old and new protagonist
Ninja Gaiden 4 will be a direct sequel to Ninja Gaiden 3 - a game that Team Ninja released almost 13 years ago. Players will explore the streets of a dark and "gruesomely altered Tokyo," assuming the role of a new protagonist, Yakumo. Well-known to fans Dark Dragon and Ryu Hayabusa will also play an important role, as the protagonist himself will have to face them. Let's add that Ryu is supposed to be a playable character in Ninja Gaiden 4.
The game director, Yuji Nakao (from PlatinumGames), commented on the change of the protagonist as follows:
Since it’s been a while since the last game, we wanted a new hero to make the series more approachable for new players. Of course, we also wanted long-time fans to enjoy the game, so Ryu Hayabusa plays a significant role in the story, serving as a major challenge and growth milestone for Yakumo.
Developers note that new mechanics related to the main character's movement around the map (including the use of rails) have been added to maintain constant tension and action. Regarding the combat itself, it is designed to be balanced so that players don't feel a significant advantage over enemies, but also don't perceive the fights as too unfair.
Enemies are designed to be masters of defense and experts of unrelenting aggression, but players never feel they’re at an unfair disadvantage. There’s a sense of [gameplay] balance that’s been passed down through the series, transcending current-day trends - said Yuji Nakao.
The technique used by Yakumo, known as Bloodraven Form, will play a significant role in the fight. By activating it, the character will be able to perform a critical attack, which is capable of instantly cutting down many enemies. This mechanic will allow for an "instant tipping of the scales of battle in our favor."
Cooperation with PlatinumGames
The issue of collaboration between Team Ninja and PlatinumGames is quite unexpected. While both teams focus on developing captivating action games, their design styles are quite distinct from one another. According to Nakao, this is where the strength of such collaboration is because in Ninja Gaiden 4, elements will be implemented in which the teams feel best:
While we [PlatinumGames] emphasize flashy, impactful strikes and moment-to-moment experiences, the Ninja Gaiden series focuses on delivering refined and satisfying gameplay feel, culminating in an exceptionally polished overall action experience. This collaboration was a truly unique learning opportunity for us at PlatinumGames.
Ninja Gaiden 2 Remaster
The second game revealed as a surprise during the Xbox Developer Direct was Ninja Gaiden 2: Black. This is a remaster of the iconic second installment of the series developed using Unreal Engine 5. Starting yesterday, it's accessible on XSX/S consoles and PC, and also for Game Pass subscribers. You can see it's trailer below.
The head of Team Ninja studio, Fumihiko Yasuda, admitted that the team developed the remaster of the second installment with the series' fans in mind, so they would have "something to do" while waiting for the release of Ninja Gaiden 4. Furthermore, it is one of the better installments of the series, so it is also a good choice for players who are not familiar with it.
