Team Ninja Hints at 30th Anniversary Celebration

Summary

• Team Ninja teases big plans for its 30th anniversary.
• Beyond Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive, the studio has developed other successful soulslike RPGs, including the Nioh series and collaborations with Square Enix.
• Fans speculate what releases could be coming in 2025 from Team Ninja.

Koei Tecmo's Team Ninja studio has teased some big plans for the developer's milestone 30th anniversary. Team Ninja, a subsidiary of Koei Tecmo, is best known for its hack-and-slash action games, particularly the iconic Ninja Gaiden franchise. The studio also created the Dead or Alive fighting game series, though it hasn't seen a new mainline entry since 2019.

While Team Ninja is renowned for these franchises, the developer has also ventured into action soulslike RPGs in recent years. The Nioh series, set in the Edo period, stands out as a notable achievement. Team Ninja further collaborated with Square Enix on the Final Fantasy prequel, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, and developed another historical fantasy soulslike inspired by Chinese mythology, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. In 2024, they released Rise of the Ronin, a critically acclaimed PlayStation 5 exclusive action RPG. As 2025 approaches, marking the studio's 30th anniversary, Team Ninja has teased some of its plans for the year.

In a round-up of Japanese developer ambitions by 4Gamer.net (as reported by Gematsu), Team Ninja's Fumihiko Yasuda discussed the developer's plans for the anniversary. Yasuda expressed hope to release titles that are "fitting for the occasion," though he remained vague about specific games. It's speculated that these might involve the Dead or Alive or Ninja Gaiden franchises. "In 2025, Team Ninja will celebrate its 30th anniversary, and we hope to announce and release titles fitting for the occasion," Yasuda stated.

Team Ninja's Potential Plans in 2025

Most recently, Ninja Gaiden is set to make a comeback in 2025, announced at The Game Awards 2024 in December. Koei Tecmo and Dot Emu are collaborating on a new side-scrolling entry, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, which aims to blend the series' classic 8-bit era gameplay and difficulty with modern elements reminiscent of the 3D entries. The last mainline entry, Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, released in 2014, was a divisive zombie-themed title.

The Dead or Alive franchise, another iconic IP from Team Ninja, hasn't seen a new mainline fighting game since 2019's Dead or Alive 6. Recent releases have been limited to spin-offs like Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 Scarlet and Venus Vacation Prism: Dead or Alive Xtreme. Fans are hopeful that Dead or Alive will receive attention from Team Ninja in 2025 to celebrate the studio's 30th anniversary. Additionally, fans are eager for more developments in the Nioh series.