Team Ninja producer Fumihiko Yasuda has revealed that the studio has been eager to develop a new entry in their iconic series, but struggled to finalize a concept. The project gained momentum when Koei Tecmo president Hisashi Koinuma and PlatinumGames head Atsushi Inaba discussed the idea, eventually involving Phil Spencer. Spencer proposed a collaboration between the three companies to kickstart the game's development.

Phil Spencer disclosed that discussions began in 2017 during his initial conversations with Team Ninja about a potential sequel. After years of negotiation, they identified PlatinumGames as the ideal partner, given their expertise in crafting high-speed action titles like Bayonetta and NieR: Automata.

Last week saw the announcement of Ninja Gaiden 4, along with the unexpected release of Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, an enhanced version of the acclaimed Xbox 360 game, now available on Xbox, PS5, and PC.

The debut trailer indicates that Ryu Hayabusa, the legendary ninja, will take center stage in this action-packed slasher. The gameplay trailer showcases Ninja Gaiden 4's introduction of novel mechanics, such as swift movement through areas using wires and rails, which were not present in earlier series entries.

While DOOM: The Dark Ages was the main draw at Developer_Direct, Ninja Gaiden 4, the anticipated sequel to Koei Tecmo's beloved franchise, also made a significant impact. Fans can look forward to its release in the fall of 2025.