One of this year's many remaining upcoming Xbox titles is Ninja Gaiden 4, a game that's been the result of a fascinating collaboration, and according to the directors, it's that exact collaboration that has made the project possible.
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The game is being developed by PlatinumGames, with the franchise owner and longtime developer Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja providing oversight, giving feedback and guidance. Meanwhile, Xbox Game Studios Publishing is publishing the game.
“If we set out to make Ninja Gaiden 4 on our own, we wouldn’t have been able to accomplish the things we did with this title. It was a really fruitful collaboration," says Masakazu Hirayama, director and producer at Team Ninja, who goes on to tell me that while both companies make action games, the different design sensibilities meant a greater end result, even if getting the balance right was sometimes tricky.
"Because of that, of course, there were moments where we had to iron things out, we had a bit of debate in terms of direction. We asked ‘How can we incorporate PlatinumGames’ strengths into Ninja Gaiden while retaining the foundations at the same time?’" Hirayama says, adding that "What made that easier is Nakao-san; before he even became a developer, he’s been playing Ninja Gaiden. We both speak the same Ninja Gaiden language."
