The plot thickens...
In an interview originally conducted by Electronic Gaming Monthly in May of 2004, Team Ninja head and all-around cool guy Tomonobu Itagaki confirmed that his studio had already begun work on the next installment of his fan favorite Ninja Gaiden franchise. At the time, the popular creator did not reveal what system the game would be for, but given Itagaki's history with Microsoft and the Xbox, it was generally assumed to be for the 360. We were all excited and couldn't wait to ask him about it ourselves.
But then something interesting happened...
When former IGN Xbox editor (and current IGN Comics honcho) Hilary Goldstein asked Itagaki about Ninja Gaiden 2 during an interview this past E3, the translator stated that the game could not be confirmed as a 360 project. The only thing that could be validated was that Team Ninja would not fully commit to Ninja Gaiden 2 until after Dead or Alive 4 had already been completed.
Almost instantly, speculation about the possibility of Ninja Gaiden 2 coming to PlayStation 3 or Nintendo Revolution started swirling around our offices. And while it was nothing more than mere conjecture, the fact that Itagaki would not confirm its 360 status had us thinking (and still does have us thinking) one of two things: that either A.) Team Ninja wasn't ready to make any official announcements at that time, or B.) The game could be headed to different (or multiple) systems. Logic and historic reference told us that the likely answer would probably prove to be the former, but after today's events at the Xbox Summit in Tokyo, Japan, the possibility of Ninja Gaiden 2 coming to systems other than 360 seems more likely.
You see, during that event, Itagaki took to the stage and announced five Team Ninja titles currently in development for the Xbox 360 -- none of which were Ninja Gaiden 2. Dead or Alive 4, Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 (a collection of beach volleyball and other mini-games), Project Progressive (a new action title), Dead or Alive: Code Cronus, and a new "secret game" were the titles announced for the show. Of course, the secret title could in fact be Ninja Gaiden 2, but given that Itagaki has already confirmed its existence in multiple publications (including ours), it doesn't seem likely.
With that said, if Ninja Gaiden 2 is really only for the Xbox 360 and Team Ninja has already confirmed its existence, why is there a refusal to officially announce it along with the company's other 360 titles? Public talk of Code Cronus has been around for almost as long as Ninja Gaiden 2 and had been discussed with editors long before its eventual reveal. A new Ninja Gaiden would no doubt be a huge coup for Microsoft and a terrific game to announce for its upcoming question.
And that's why I'm left wondering the big question, "what system will Ninja Gaiden ultimately release for?" While there's no evidence pointing towards a definite Revolution or PlayStation 3 release, there are enough circumstantial bits of info that certainly seem to allude at the possibility. Of course, once this mystery eventually meets its conclusion (be it an Xbox 360 exclusive, a multi-platform title, or something else that we haven't even thought of yet) we'll be sure to let you know.
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