Tomonobu Itagaki’s departure from Team Ninja (and also his legal action towards Tecmo) certainly dampened the hopes of any fans hoping for more Ninja Gaiden games — especially when Itagaki clearly said he would never create another one. Of course, it’s almost a year later, and with Yosuke Hayashi at the Team Ninja helm, it seems there may be hope after all.
In a recent interview withKikizo, Hayashi commented:
“Regardless of what Itagaki-san said before, in time, what the consumers, the gamers are looking for is going to be the next chapter — the future of an outstanding series … We feel that we’re in a position of being able to make that call, and to provide pure entertainment that’s going to be enjoyed by action gamers and our fans. That calling is already there — we feel it, and therefore we will continue to work towards a future for the series.”
Hayashi has previously worked onNinja Gaiden SigmaandNinja Gaiden Dragon Sword. Well, I can’t say I’m shocked at this news. I didn’t think either of the aforementioned titles were poor games, but I know when I feel like playing Ninja Gaiden, I reach for the original NES titles before the next gen stuff every time. Of course, I’m the minority here. Would you be thrilled to see more entries in the Ninja Gaiden series?
