Team Ninja is reportedly working on Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive reboots, as announced by the company during its keynote at the Korea G-Star conference. The studio didn’t reveal any specific details regarding these reboots but stated new versions of Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive were in the works.
The Ninja Gaiden series began in 1988, with the release of the original game on arcade machines. This side-scrolling beat ‘em up quickly gained attention, becoming one of the most successful arcade games in both Japan and the United States. The success of this game led to the development of a sequel, released in 1990 under the name Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos. This game brought the series to consoles and computers with a release on Famicom, NES, and Amiga. A third opus concluded the original Ninja Gaiden trilogy, called Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom. This title is the first not to release on arcade systems and brings an end to the story of the first two installments in the series.
In 2004, Ninja Gaiden is back with a second trilogy. These new games are prequels to the original trilogy and take place in the same universe as Dead or Alive. Team Ninja released this new version of Ninja Gaiden in 2004, with a second opus called Ninja Gaiden 2 in 2008, and the conclusion to this new trilogy, Ninja Gaiden 3, which was released in 2012. Various spin-off games to this series were published throughout the years, from 1991’s Ninja Gaiden Shadow on the Game Boy to 2014’s Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.
The 2004 Ninja Gaiden trilogy takes place in the same universe as the other main game series developed by Team Ninja, Dead or Alive. The first entry in the series, released in 1996 in arcades, brought a brand new feature to fighting games: the ability to grab an opponent instead of blocking their attacks. Dead or Alive became one of the most popular fighting games worldwide, appealing to players with female characters with large breasts and few clothes.
The Dead or Alive series received six main installments, with the latest one being released in 2019. Several spin-offs further expanded the franchise, removing even more clothes with beach volleyball versions of Dead or Alive.
According to Team Ninja, Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive reboots are currently in the works. The studio didn’t reveal any release window or further information about these games.
