Team Ninja Unveils 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 hinted at exciting plans to celebrate its milestone 30th anniversary in 2025. As a subsidiary of Koei Tecmo, Team Ninja is renowned for its thrilling hack-and-slash action games, particularly the iconic Ninja Gaiden franchise. The studio also boasts the Dead or Alive fighting game series, although the last mainline entry, Dead or Alive 6, was released in 2019.

While these franchises have cemented Team Ninja's reputation, the developer has ventured into the action soulslike RPG genre in the 2020s. The Nioh series, set in Japan's Edo period, has been a standout success in this category. Team Ninja's collaboration with Square Enix on Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, a prequel to the renowned Final Fantasy series, further showcased their prowess. They also released Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, a historical fantasy soulslike inspired by Chinese mythology, and the critically acclaimed PlayStation 5 exclusive, Rise of the Ronin, in 2024. As we approach 2025, Team Ninja has teased its plans for the year, celebrating their 30th anniversary.

In a feature by 4Gamer.net on Japanese developers' ambitions (as reported by Gematsu), Team Ninja's Fumihiko Yasuda discussed their upcoming projects. He expressed the team's desire to release titles "fitting for the occasion" to mark their anniversary. Though Yasuda kept the details vague, speculation points towards potential releases related to 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

Exciting developments have already been announced for 2025. Ninja Gaiden is set for a revival with Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, unveiled at The Game Awards 2024. This new side-scrolling entry, a collaboration between Koei Tecmo and Dot Emu, aims to merge the classic 8-bit era's gameplay and difficulty with modern enhancements reminiscent of the 3D entries. The last mainline Ninja Gaiden game, Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, released in 2014, was met with mixed reactions due to its zombie theme.

Meanwhile, the Dead or Alive series hasn't seen a new mainline fighting game since 2019's Dead or Alive 6. Recent releases in the franchise have been spin-offs, such as Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 Scarlet and Venus Vacation Prism: Dead or Alive Xtreme. Fans are eager for a new entry in the Dead or Alive series to honor Team Ninja's 30th anniversary. Additionally, there's a strong interest in seeing further developments for the Nioh series in 2025.