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Team Ninja supposedly confirms plans to reboot Ninja Gaiden & Dead or Alive [UPDATED]

Team Ninja studio director and president Fumihiko Yasuda hopes to share details on the studio's plans 'as soon as possible.'

TJ Denzer

November 22, 2022 8:07 AM

Image via Team Ninja

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UPDATED (11/22/2022 @ 8:07 a.m. PT): Team Ninja has reached out to clarify that there are currently no plans to revive Ninja Gaiden or Dead or Alive that can be shared at this time. More importantly, it was clarified that the company was only considering reviving these franchises at the moment, as shared by Team Ninja creative director Tom Lee with VGC.

“Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden are both long-standing pillar franchises for Team Ninja. These celebrated titles are synonymous with our studio history and reputation,” Lee told VGC. “It goes without saying that when speaking about the development of our past and future projects, both of these important titles cannot be left without mention. However, there are no details or information to share on either of these franchises at this present time. Like many of our dedicated fans, we share the enthusiasm for the return of these beloved titles. And we will be sure to provide a proper update (if and) when that day arrives.”

"If... that day arrives," seems to be the crux of the statement. There are no current plans just yet, but we will continue to monitor this story for changes and updates as they become available.

Original Story: It’s been a long time since we last saw Dead or Alive and even longer since we’ve seen Ninja Gaiden, but that may be coming to an end in the near future. Team Ninja has been hard at work on games like Nioh 2, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, but it would seem it’s getting ready to turn its attention back to two of its most popular franchises with sources reporting that Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive reboots have been confirmed.

Word of the supposed Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive reboots came out of Ruliweb, as reported by Video Games Chronicle. According to the reports, Team Ninja president and studio director Fumihiko Yasuda hosted a panel at the G-Star conference in Busan, South Korea. Yasuda reportedly ended his panel with a slide that showed prominent images of Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden, as well as the headline “The future of Team Ninja – Reboot of popular series” in Japanese. Yasuda added that he hopes to share news with fans as soon as possible. It's worth noting that Team Ninja also told VGC it had nothing to announce or confirm at this time.

This bodes well for the Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden franchises. Ninja Gaiden had a Master Collection release on most platforms in 2021, but it hasn’t had a mainline entry since Ninja Gaiden 3 in 2012. Meanwhile, Dead or Alive 6 had a pretty decent release in 2019, but it certainly wasn’t the best the series has given us. With Team Ninja seemingly starting from the ground up on both games, it would seem we can look forward to seeing fresh looks at both of these franchise when, or if, they return.

We still don’t have any confirmation directly from Team Ninja on Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden reboots, so stay tuned for further information as it becomes available, right here at Shacknews.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.