Rumors have been swirling for some time now that Koei Tecmo was preparing to launch a collection of the Ninja Gaiden reboot trilogy, and now those rumors have been proven true. As revealed during the latest Nintendo Direct presentation, Koei Tecmo is re-releasing Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge together in Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection.
While the Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection announcement during the February 17 Nintendo Direct presentation focused primarily on the game coming to the Switch, it's actually in the works for other platforms as well. Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection launches on June 10 for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One, and while no dedicated PS5 or Xbox Series X versions of the game exist, it will still be playable on the next-generation consoles thanks to their backward compatibility.
For those who are unfamiliar with the games, the Ninja Gaiden reboot trilogy updated the classic Ninja Gaiden action game series with 3D graphics while retaining its high skill level. The Sigma and Razor's Edge versions of each of the games are the re-releases that included some additional content and other tweaks to the gameplay. Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection also includes "most of" the DLC costumes and game modes that were released for the three games after their respective launches.
Fans will have to wait until June 10 to play Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection, but the Ninja Gaiden franchise celebration will start a little earlier than that. Ninja Gaiden studio Team Ninja will be running a special event in its most recent game, Nioh 2, to celebrate Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection. This will include the Dragon Ninja skin, which allows Nioh 2 players to transform into Ninja Gaiden protagonist Ryu Hayabusa. The costume will be available to anyone that owns Nioh 2: The Complete Edition or Nioh 2 starting February 18.
While Ninja Gaiden fans may be excited to unlock this Ninja Gaiden-themed content in Nioh 2 and revisit the classic games on June 10, others may be hungry for a full-fledged new Ninja Gaiden game. Unfortunately, Team Ninja has said that it is not making a new Ninja Gaiden game at this time. It's also not making a new Nioh game either, so it seems as though Team Ninja fans can look forward to seeing some new IP from the critically-acclaimed studio at some point in the future.
But while Team Ninja is seemingly not interested in making Ninja Gaiden 4 right now, it's clear that the franchise will remain relevant. Not only is this collection coming out this summer, but there are rumors that Ryu Hayabusa will be a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC fighter. Those rumors could be completely fabricated, though, so Ninja Gaiden fans should keep their expectations in check.
Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection launches on June 10 for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.