Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is coming Summer 2025

Hi all, on behalf of The Game Kitchen, we’re thrilled to finally disclose the task we’ve worked on for the past two years, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound. A partnership with Dotemu, Koei Tecmo Games, and Team Ninja, into which we’re pouring our hearts and souls.

When Dotemu first approached the theater about the possibility of creating a new chapter in this famous story, the media was met with a lot of excitement. It was a once-in-a-lifetime option that couldn’t be missed.
When developing the principle, we approached the company with a deep gratitude for its importance as a monument in the actions genre during two different eras: the late 1980s and the early 2000s. Both the traditional 2D and current 3D iterations stood out for their excellent quality, offering small game, striking visuals, wonderful music, and captivating storytelling.
Our staff, a diverse group of people who grew up with Ninja Gaiden, is a diverse group of players who have a profound effect on players and continues to inspire designers. We want to create two Ragebound team members in this assessment post and discuss how Ninja Gaiden’s tradition has shaped their job from various perspectives.
The Penitent One was a brilliant example of the skills that Raul Vivar, the project’s lead filmmaker, demonstrated in Blasphemous I and II. Ral, a child of the 1980s, was raised in the West warrior frenzy and has since become a devoted fan. His first meeting with Ninja Gaiden was in one of the neighborhood galleries, where he was captivated by the intricate design and the extensive range of movements Ryu may execute, giving him a real hero warrior vibe. When our task was announced, Raúl was but moved that he shed tears of joy.
When it came to defining the craft design, Raúl explains that high-quality image skill was the obvious alternative, given the line ‘ roots and The Game Kitchen’s prior knowledge. But, capturing the perfect mood necessary intelligent effort. Transitioning from the melancholy, classical black dream of Blasphemous to the lively, action-packed world of Ninja Gaiden called for a better visual. This meant incorporating more vibrant colors and cleaner shapes, which were inspired by the 90s anime’s dynamic feel. Studying the original game sprites and reimagining them in higher resolution, unrestricted by palette limitations, was a crucial step in the process in order to achieve the desired look.
Rael had to create the fluidity and speed of a ninja with unprecedented detail, smoothness, and pixel art in the series ‘ 2D entries, making the animation of the playable character challenging.
Oriol Tartarin, one of the game designers on the project, has been collaborating closely with Raúl to define the player’s actions and bring the characters to life. Ninja Gaiden and Oriol first met on the PS3 after watching his older cousin play. He was enthralled by the feats of skill that his cousin could carry out with the controller, which gave him a strong motivation to get back into the game. The gameplay in this new iteration was based on the unbroken action and fluid combat that forces players to advance with a rhythm that feels like dancing through the stage.
Building on this inspiration, Oriol focused on designing a player experience that captures the classic Ninja Gaiden games ‘ fast-paced, hack-and-slash platforming action, while incorporating modern, sophisticated combat mechanics. The goal was to create a seamless flow where players could chain offensive moves and evasions without interruption, resulting in a dynamic, ninja-like spectacle. Moving effortlessly across the stage, whether on the ground, walls, or in the air was crucial to the design.
This freedom of movement combined with input predictability and immediate response made it possible for the team to create combat scenarios that keep players constantly moving. The end result is a creative design that rewards precision and momentum, creating a rhythm that keeps the action moving forward.
Both Raul and Oriol both concur that animating the player while maintaining these design pillars has been one of the biggest challenges in development. The challenge was in producing fluid and detailed pixel art animations that, on the one hand, faithfully depict the signature moves of a Hayabusa ninja while, on the other hand, respond immediately to the player’s intentions in every frame.
This involved taking into account all potential move cancellations and making seamless transitions between actions, making sure smooth combinations throughout every move possible. Achieving the right game feel has involved a lot of back-and-forth, adjusting animations, timings, and mechanics to strike the perfect balance between satisfying responsiveness and breathtaking spectacle.
It’s a beautiful and difficult task to create a brand-new 2D installment of such a well-known saga. However, this journey has been incredibly rewarding because it has such a solid foundation on which to build and a well-established team that has a deep love for the series. We sincerely hope that fans will be just as excited as we are to see Ninja Gaiden’s legacy continue in this new chapter.
In the summer of 2025, PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 will be able to purchase Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound.