Team Ninja, seemingly out of nowhere, has become one of the hottest developers in the business at present. From a wounded developer who had seemingly lost their way following the launch of Ninja Gaiden 3 in 2012 to a team who had once again found form with the release of 2017’s Nioh, and it’s been onwards and upwards since with Nioh 2, the compilation of the three modern Ninja Gaiden games, Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin for Square Enix, the incredibly anticipated 2023 release, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, and now a new game, Rise Of Ronin, set for release in 2024. The developer has gone from on its knees less than half a decade ago, to sprinting faster than most, but what is Rise of the Ronin?
Rise of the Ronin is a partnership between both Team Ninja and Sony Interactive Entertainment, resulting in exclusivity for the PS5. Rise Of Ronin is an action RPG “which takes you on an epic and unfettered journey as a Ronin at the dawn of a new era in Japan” says the post on the PlayStation Blog. Interestingly, Team Ninja has been working on this game for seven years, and a lot has changed in that time in terms of how traditional Japan is depicted in games, from what Ghost Of Tsushima has achieved, Team Ninja’s own Nioh, and now, most recently Ubisoft has decided that it’s time to take Assassin’s Creed to Japan. How Rise of the Ronin fares in this same battleground will be interesting when it releases in 2024.
Team Ninja’s Director and President, Fumihiko Yasuda spoke about the background of Rise of the Ronin.
Rise of the Ronin is a combat focused open-world action RPG that takes place in Japan at a time of great change. It is the very end of a 300-year long Edo Period, commonly known as “Bakumatsu.” Set in the late 19th century, Japan is facing the darkest of times as it struggles with its oppressive rulers and deadly diseases while western influence permeates as civil war continues to rage between the Tokugawa Shogunate and the Anti-Shogunate factions.
Here in this time of mayhem, you embody a Ronin character, a warrior bound to no master and free to make choices of its own. Rise of the Ronin is a new Team Ninja experience that will immerse you in an historically inspired world while bringing together its renowned combat action with Katanas and the likes, with new firearm weaponry that depicts the unique personality of its time period.
And with regards to what the studio is trying to achieve with the game, Yasuda stated the following,
We at Koei Tecmo, have had many titles in the past that were based on history. But with Rise of the Ronin, we set out to take the next big step. By harnessing all the skills and knowledge we’ve gained over the years we really wanted to take things to the next level by attempting to thoroughly portray the most critical revolution in the history of Japan including the darkest and ugliest chapters that many will shy away from. This is undoubtedly the most ambitious and challenging project for Team Ninja Studio to date. Yet we will allow our experience in creating samurai and ninja action games to guide us through this journey.
Beyond the action elements, we will be steadfast in our efforts to create a multilayered story that showcases the world of the Bakumatsu period and the revolution that took place. The characters that you will meet all have their own brand of justice and motivations, and whether you decided to side with or against them… each decision you make will matter. With new combat action and unrestrained open gameplay, we are looking forward to setting you free as you immerse yourself as a Ronin.
Rise of the Ronin is set to come to PC and PS5 in 2024.
