Yesterday, Microsoft kickstarted its this year's efforts with the big Xbox Developer_Direct 2025 show. Microsoft's now annual "mini" showcase in January highlights major upcoming Xbox titles for the first half of the year typically, with occasional guest spots from third party developers. This year, we got a big deep dive into DOOM: The Dark Ages, South of Midnight, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and a surprise look at Ninja Gaiden 4, published by Xbox itself.
As part of the festivities, Koei Tecmo also dropped a comprehensive remake of Ninja Gaiden 2, dubbed Ninja Gaiden 2 Black. The rebuilt game showcases its brutal hack n' slashery with modern Unreal Engine trappings, sporting 4K 120 FPS on Xbox Series X and PC. Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is $49.99 to buy outright, but Microsoft and Koei Tecmo slapped the game straight into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, giving users instant access.
