It was just revealed at the Xbox Developer Direct showcase that Ninja Gaiden 2 Remake – known as ‘Ninja Gaiden 2 Black’ – drops today on Xbox Game Pass. This shadowdrop comes courtesy of Team Ninja, who revealed Ninja Gaiden 4 just moments before announcing the sudden and unexpected arrival of the rebuilt Ninja Gaiden 2.
You can play Ninja Gaiden 2 Black now, and it’s guaranteed to keep you busy until Ninja Gaiden 4 is released in Fall 2025.
Back in Black
Ninja Gaiden 2 Black has been fully built in UE5 by Team Ninja, honouring the ‘original style of the game’ with lush visuals. There will be a string of playable characters, including Ayane, Momiji, Rachel, and of course, Ryu Hayabusa.
Here’s the trailer for Ninja Gaiden 2 Black:
Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is available now on Xbox and PC, and it has been added to the Game Pass subscription service.
During the Xbox Developer Direct showcase, Team Ninja said:
We are happy to deliver this to the fans that have been dedicated to Ninja Gaiden over the years, as well as to newcomers of the series.
Ninja Gaiden 2 was originally released on the Xbox 360 way back in 2008, so this certainly is a blast from the past. Are you excited about the legendary game resurfacing? Let us know on the Insider Gaming forum.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that South of Midnight releases April 8th
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
More from Grant Taylor-Hill
I’m sorry I don’t trust them unless Itagaki’s involved watch them censor this
Still no Dead Or Alive then again without Itagaki it’s garbage that would have been a better announcement him coming back
This looks rough honestly they should have rehired Tomonobu Itagaki for this remake 2 and OG Black and make 4 also Dead Or Alive. Maybe talk to Sega about using Dragon Engine. The movement in the original Black and 2 looks way smoother than what they showed. 4 looks fun but it feels like a completely different game to the Itagaki games just confusing? I’m honestly worried with Team Ninja teasing new Dead Or Alive now I feel they’ll fumble that hard again just be smart and rehire Itagaki if Capcom can rehire Kamiya you rehire Itagaki and give him full control.
It doesn’t look as smooth as the original 360 game something looks off? But Microsoft paid to publish 4 I think so if they can do that how about buying the Splinter Cell IP remake those and fund a new Def Jam have Octopus Panic make that.
It looks good but it’s just a reminder they’ll never reach greatness again unless they bring Itagaki back same especially for Dead Or Alive if he was at Koei Tecmo now they’d be a giant.
I don’t know what it is but things look off and it’s weird they didn’t show gameplay for the female characters? I don’t trust Koei Tecmo of today especially without Itagaki. It’s just facts they’re nothing without him.
I’ll stick to the original but hopefully this does well and hopefully this leads to Koei Tecmo rehiring or working with Tomonobu Itagaki again
Hey Nintendo license Devils Third to someone let’s get a remaster or remake of that it’s honestly not bad would sell better multiplat
Devils Third is not a bad game more need to give it a chance. A port to all platforms would help that.
Put respect on Itagaki’s name finally! He made Ninja Gaiden what it is in the modern era and created Dead Or Alive! Platinum might do Ninja Gaiden justice but I don’t trust anyone outside Itagaki to make Dead Or Alive they should rehire him or partner with Itagaki Games to make it. Platinum has some other titles in development like a Capcom project and rumors were MGR 2 at Konami. This made me want Platinum to make a Shadow The Hedgehog game even more.