In a recent interview with Kikizo Games, the leader of Tecmo’s Team Ninja confirmed what many had already speculated; there would be a sequel to the critically acclaimed Ninja Gaiden. Itagaki claimed that the franchise would not undergo any major changes in direction, and based on the pride he seems to have as it pertains to the game’s difficulty, it seems likely that gamers will be in for a satisfying challenge once again.
Itagaki gave a vague timeframe for the release of the next Ninja Gaiden as well, stating that it would be released after Dead or Alive 4 (of which we have yet to see or hear anything, other than confirmation of its existence) but before the mysterious Code Chronus – a game that has yet to be define in even the vaguest sense, other than Itagaki’s hints as to its epic proportions – and the lack of a denial as it pertains to the game being part of the Adventure of RPG genres.
Previous estimates on the part of Mr. Itagaki put the release of Code Chronus at 2006, possibly at – or just after – the launch of the Xbox Next. If Ninja Gaiden 2 will indeed be completed and released before Code Chronus then the game will likely be released in in late 2005 or 2006. It’s unlikely that a game as high profile as NG2 would be released in the dying days of the XBOX however, and the addition of a Ninja Gaiden title to the XBOX Next Launch would certainly help MS out of the gate for the next generation console race.
