Team Ninja’s latest project is that ofNioh 2, which is slated to finally launch on PS4 next month. While shipping a game is always a thrilling time for any developer, the question after release from fans always becomes, “What will you work on next?” In the case of Team Ninja, it seems like a return to a popular action game franchise of the past could be in the cards.
Speaking toIGNin a recent interview, Team Ninja director Fumihiko Yasuda stated that the studio has an interest in creating anotherNinja Gaidengame. Yasuda said that the team that worked onNioh 2was comprised of many members who once worked onNinja Gaidenpreviously and that the desire is there to return to the series.
“The core members of the team that worked onNinja Gaidenwant to make a new game,” Yasuda stated. “We are aware that some fans wantedNinja Gaidenmore thanNioh 2," he also admitted. Personally speaking, while I’m very excited to playNioh 2, I’m definitely one of those fans who has been pining for a newNinja Gaidengame above all other Team Ninja projects for quite some time.
Yasuda went on to express that other recent video game releases of the ninja variety have also motivated and inspired the studio. He specifically called out FromSoftware’s most recent release saying, “Now we see a lot of ninja games like [Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice] as well, and we see a lot of good inspirations in those games, so we hope to deliver some good news one day.”
While Team Ninja hasn’t formally said that a newNinja Gaidengame is what the team will work on next, it definitely seems like everything is lining up for this situation to become a reality. After all, it has been nearly 8 years since the last formal entry in the series,Ninja Gaiden 3, released. Even though Ryu Hayabusa has been away for nearly a decade at this point, fans would surely welcome the series back with open arms after such a long span between releases.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed that a new game in theNinja Gaidenfranchise can come about once thePS5 and Xbox Series Xhit store shelves later this year.
