ANinja Gaidenreboot is reportedly being made.Ninja Gaidenis a long-running and popular action game franchise, originating in 1988 with a beat ‘em up arcade game and a beloved 2D action-platformer made for the Nintendo Entertainment System.Ninja Gaidenhas been largely absent since the 2012 conclusion of the Team Ninja trilogy and a 2014 hack-and-slash spin-off. That appears set to change, however, with Team Ninja confirmingNinja Gaidenis coming back.
While the originalNinja Gaidenaction-platformers are well-loved, most fans of the franchise will likely associate the name with Team Ninja’s trilogy of hardcore 3D action hack-and-slash games. Released in 2004, 2008, and 2012, the trio of Team Ninja’sNinja Gaidentitles were both embraced and spurned for their brutally difficult cinematic combat and graphic violence. Series protagonistRyu Hyabusawould slice at incredibly challenging foes, often dismembering or decapitating them – at least until the violence was toned down inNinja Gaiden 3.
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According to Noisy Pixel, the announcement of a newNinja Gaidengame being made came directly from Team Ninja, and not from IP ownerKoei Tecmo. Team Ninja provided a keynote presentation at the Korea G-Star conference, a gaming-focused trade show. All that’s confirmed is that Team Ninja has said aNinja Gaidenreboot is being made, but no further details on the project have otherwise been provided.
While this is the first time aNinja Gaidenreboot has been confirmed, there have been substantial hints that this would happen in the relatively near past. In 2021, Koei Tecmo released aNinja Gaiden: Master Collection, a bundle including definitive editions of all three of Team Ninja’sNinja Gaidentitles, for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. It could be seen as Koei Tecmo testing the water forNinja Gaiden’s return, or Team Ninja warming up to working on the franchise once more.
Given the lack of information currently available, it’s unclear when more will be shared about theNinja Gaidenreboot. It’s possible that the newNinja Gaidengame is only in pre-production, which would mean years could pass before it’s ready for public showing.Team Ninjais known for an aggressive game release schedule, though, so anything’s possible.
What a modernNinja Gaidentitle would look like is certainly a mystery. Team Ninja could certainly try and re-create the magic of its previous success, focusing on difficulty and violence. Alternatively, it could do something more modern and turnNinja Gaideninto an action-RPG like Team Ninja’s more recent projects,NiohandWo-Long: Fallen Dynasty. Either way, there are going to be a lot of happyNinja Gaidenfans today.
