Xbox’s first Developer Direct of 2025 included a few surprises, including the announcement ofNinja Gaiden4 from Team Ninja and, surprisingly, Platinum Games.
Even ifGrand Theft Auto 6doesn’t end up releasing,2025 still is shaping up to be another massive year for gaming. Nintendo proved that earlier this month with thereveal of the Switch 2, and now it’s Xbox’s turn to show its hand with its annual Developer Direct showcasewhich was focused on Doom: The Dark Ages, South of Midnight, and more.
Although Xbox already confirmed three of the big games that were going to be featured at the showcase, it also promised that there would be one mystery reveal, a la Hi-Fi Rush during 2023’s Direct.Several insiders also suggested that we’d see more than one surprise, which certainly ended up being the case.
Xbox Developer Direct Reveals Ninja Gaiden 4
To kick off the show in a very big way,Team Ninja and Platinum Games announced Ninja Gaiden 4, the first 3D entry in the series for more than 10 years. We got an extended look at gameplay during the reveal footage, which confirmed that a new protagonist Yakumo will be playable alongside the returning Ryu Hayabusa.
After revealing the game, Team Ninja went into more detail about what’s in store for Yakumo and Ryu as they fight through Tokyo. The game’s story seems to revolve around a new ninja group, the Raven clan, going up against Hayabusa. The surprisingly long showcase also confirmed that the game is launching in Fall 2024.
Ninja Gaiden 4 isn’t even the only new game in the series we’re getting this year, as Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is also launching at some point in 2025. It’s looking like a very good time to be a fan of the series.
That wasn’t the only surprise waiting for the long-starving Ninja Gaiden community,as Team Ninja also revealed that Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, a revamped version of the best entry in the series. Here’s hoping that’s changed when Ninja Gaiden 4 releases at the end of this year.
