Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z gets Unreal

Tecmo Koei and Epic Games have signed a deal for the Unreal Engine 3 to appear in the latest in the Ninja Gaiden series. Hacking and slashing never looked so good.

Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z is being billed as a “bold new take” on the classic Ninja Gaiden franchise. The game itself is a collaboration between Team Ninja and star designer Kenji Inafune, but now you can throw Epic Games into the mix as the Unreal Engine 3 will be handling the visuals on the latest ninja bloodbath.

All three parties are pleased to be working on this one. With the last Ninja Gaiden (and the Wii U port) not being exactly what fans want or expect from the famous slash’em up, Yaiba seems like it’s poised to be a fresh start.

“We couldn’t be happier to develop ‘YAIBA: NINJA GAIDEN Z’ on Unreal Engine 3,” said Inafune. “In the past I have been involved with numerous projects built upon Unreal Engine 3, so I understand its benefits and reliability. Unreal allows us to focus on making the game fun, and to push the boundaries of visuals and gameplay in the shortest time possible.”

“‘YAIBA: NINJA GAIDEN Z’ is not a sequel. It is a new experience for gamers,” said Yosuke Hayashi, studio head of Team NINJA. “As with any new title, there are many new challenges, from the game design to art style and even development team structure. Unreal Engine 3 is a great ally to have when taking on those challenges. Unreal Engine allows us to quickly and efficiently iterate on countless ideas, and ‘YAIBA’ is now taking on a life of its own. We can’t wait until gamers everywhere get their hands on the ultimate ninja zombie experience.”

“Gamers around the world are awaiting ‘YAIBA: NINJA GAIDEN Z’ with great anticipation,” said Taka Kawasaki, territory manager of Epic Games Japan. “I’m really excited to see what the great talent at Team NINJA, comcept and Spark come up with, as they comprise some of the best creative minds in Japan and the United States. I’m honored to see how Unreal Engine 3 technology helps the team as they reinvent this beloved franchise.”

There’s no firm release date as of yet (or even a tentative one really), or announcement as to what consoles the game will appear on (though it’s more than likely a next gen game) but Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z is most definitely in development right this very second.

We’ll have more on the next generation of Ninja Gaiden as it becomes available.