Remember Babylon’s Fall, one of the first casualties of the industry’s massive live service shift? Seemingly helping PlatinumGames claw back from its struggles, Koei Tecmo is collaborating with it on a new entry in Ryu Hayabusa’s saga: Ninja Gaiden 4. Yep, you read that right. A new Ninja Gaiden game, made by PlatinumGames, is out of the shadows and set to drop this Fall.
Unveiled during the January 25th Xbox Developer_Direct stream, this will be Ryu’s first new entry in 13 years and it’s pulling out all the stops. You won’t just play as the Master Ninja himself, but also a new protagonist called Yakumo.
“A significant amount of time has passed since Ninja Gaiden 3,” explained producer and director Yuji Nakao. Tokyo has now transformed into a gritty cyberpunk landscape thanks to the Rain of Darkrot caused by the returning Black Dragon. Yakumo, a member of the Raven rival ninja clan, is tasked to sort this thing out — and eventually face off against Ryu Hayabusa.
The game promises the classic Ninja Gaiden mix of brutal combat and intense challenge, with a few modern twists. For example, PlatinumGames is adding high-speed ‘rail traversal’ and ‘wire-based actions’ to keep things fresh. Yakumo also comes armed with Bloodraven Form, a flashy new ability that could turn enemies’ blood into massive weapons such as an extremely long sword. When a special condition is met, Yakumo can then use said blood weapon to defeat multiple enemies in one swift blow.
PlatinumGames is hard at work on how the visual works as well as the game’s difficulty, inspired by many of Ninja Gaiden 2‘s ‘standout qualities.’ “The rapid shifts between offense and defense, the almost fighting game-like 1v1 combat — you’ll see these elements evolve in Ninja Gaiden 4,” added Nakao.
As mentioned above, Ryu Hayabusa will still be playable and appear throughout the game. He also will serve as a ‘major challenge’ and growth milestone for the up-and-coming Raven ninja.
“Since it’s been a while since the last game, we wanted a new hero to make the series more approachable for new players,” clarified Nakao. “Of course, we also wanted long-time fans to enjoy the game, so Ryu Hayabusa plays a significant role in the story.“
But the surprise doesn’t stop there. Not to be overshadowed, Ninja Gaiden 2 also makes its triumphant return on Game Pass in the remastered Black version. The game is even available to be purchased and played on PC, consoles, and Game Pass right now to tide fans over Ninja Gaiden 4.
“We chose Ninja Gaiden 2 because it stands as one of the most solid action games in the series,” explains Fumihiko Yasuda, Head of Team Ninja. “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.”
For fans of the series — and anyone hoping PlatinumGames can redeem itself — 2025 is shaping up to be ‘The Year of the Ninja.’ Fingers crossed they deliver. In the meantime, don’t forget to grab Ninja Gaiden 2 Black and start sharpening your ninjutsu. You’ll need them when Ninja Gaiden 4 drops this Fall.
