And there was a surprise indeed: Xbox unveils Ninja Gaiden 4 by PlatinumGames

Xbox's efforts to open the doors of its ecosystem to Japanese video games and developers is a strategy that has followed a more or less regular pace since Phil Spencer underpinned Game Pass with Atlus' Persona games and deals with Square Enix to start bringing the Final Fantasy series to the platform. And today we've seen another big move along those lines.

Even if it could've been its mic dropper (but let's leave that to the Oblivion remake), today's Xbox Developer Direct revealed a new Ninja Gaiden as the very first announcement of the presentation. It is an entry developed by PlatinumGames in collaboration with Team Ninja, and the title is separate from Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, which was announced very recently, during last month's pre-Game Awards stream and is being developed by The Game Kitchen, for a summer 2025 release (and whose character seems related to this new adventure to us).

Producer and head of Team Ninja, Fumihiko Yasuda, introduced the fourth mainline instalment in the Ninja Gaiden series after a decade, known as Ninja Gaiden 4, and "with a new Master Ninja protagonist, Yakumo," Yasuda explains, though the original hero Ryu Hayabusa "will play a pivotal role in the story."

Yakumo, a young ninja from the Raven clan, which is a rival to the Hayabusa clan, takes centre stage in a story set in a devastated Tokyo. According to Yuji Nakao, producer and director at PlatinumGames, the disaster in the city is caused by the Rain of Darkrot, which signals that the Dark Dragon is alive. Yudai Abe, level design & environment lead at PG, adds that "we're preserving the dark, hardcore atmosphere of the series," including "curses and chaotic landscapes."

As the game progresses and as per seen on other PG games such as Bayonetta, the city succumbs to the curse, leading to dynamic platforming and "enhanced verticality." Tomoko Nishii, art director at PG, comments that "the protagonist, Yakumo, is following Ryu's footsteps to become a master ninja," with the Divine Dragon Order, the organization tasked with policing this desolate version of Tokyo and guarding the Seal of the Dark Dragon, standing in his way, along with a horde of demons lurking throughout the world. Platinum promises even faster-paced gameplay, with Yakumo able to use the new "Bloodbind Ninjutsu Nué Style" to unleash dynamic attacks and take on multiple enemies at once, including wide-range insta-kills never before seen in the series.

"Ryu's motives will be revealed as the story unfolds and lead him to clash with Yakumo"

Here's the official trailer's description of the plot:

"Several years ago, the Dark Dragon, youngest of the Divine Dragon gods, wreaked havoc across the world. The plot was ultimately thwarted through the efforts of a sole ninja. However, the Dark Dragon's husk remained, and from this husk fell an endless downpour of cursed rain. The abandoned Tokyo continues its struggle against chaos to this day".

And, by the way, in case anyone was wondering, yes, the new Ninja Gaiden game will release on Game Pass on Day 1 this autumn 2025.