Ninja Gaiden 4 revealed, alongside a surprise shadow drop

Ninja Gaiden 4, the newest entry in Team Ninja’s tough-as-nails ninja action series Ninja Gaiden, has been revealed in today’s Xbox Developer Direct presentation. The upcoming game, co-developed by Team Ninja and Platinum Games, continues the story of series protagonist Ryu Hayabusa while introducing a new protagonist from the rival Raven Clan named Yakumo. In addition, Team Ninja announced that Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, a remaster of the second game in the series running on Unreal Engine 5, is shadow dropping today on Game Pass.

Set after the events of Ninja Gaiden 3, the city of Tokyo has been mostly abandoned while the husk of the Dark Dragon hovers in the sky, causing an endless downpour of cursed rain. You play as both Ryu and Yakumo as they fight against an army of demons, as well as one another. Yakumo is able to switch between two fighting styles: the Raven style, which is suited for one-on-one fights, and the Nué style, which is better suited for fighting groups of enemies using far-reaching attacks. Platinum Games’ influence seems strongly felt in this trailer. The studio’s pedigree of over-the-top action games like Bayonetta and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance appears to be a good fit for the Ninja Gaiden series’ particular brand of bloody acrobatic violence.

While we do not have a precise release date for Ninja Gaiden 4, it has been given a release window of southern hemisphere Spring 2025. As such, we won’t have too long to wait. The game will release on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, with a day one release on Game Pass.

Furthermore, Team Ninja announced that Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, a new and enhanced version of Ninja Gaiden 2 running on Unreal Engine 5, is coming out on today. In addition to the expected visual upgrades, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black will include Ayane, Momiji, and Rachel as playable characters in addition to Ryu. Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is out now on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S, also via Game Pass.