Sony's PlayStation 5 and Microsoft's Xbox Series X/S have been on the market since November 2020, but many games on the horizon are still releasing primarily for previous-generation systems like the PS4 and Xbox One. Game development can be a long and involved process, and many titles were set further back due to delays resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and a subsequent shift to work-from-home policies. In the case of the Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection, developer Team Ninja elected to not create standalone next-gen versions because of how much more involved that process would be.
Master Collection brings three games from the sixth and seventh home console generations to modern devices, but these remastered versions had to make some concessions in order to transition. For example, it will not include online functionality present in the 3D-action Ninja Gaiden trilogy, and its PC port will not have keyboard and mouse support. Game Rant spoke to Team Ninja Producer Fumihiko Yasuda about why the studio decided to create Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection rather than remake the trilogy entirely, which may have provided the opportunity to bring in more features.
Yasuda said work on Master Collection began after Team Ninja finished Nioh 2, due to both fan and developer interest in seeing Ninja Gaiden: Sigma, Ninja Gaiden: Sigma 2, and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge accessible on PC and eighth-generation home consoles. Team Ninja considers the series one of its signature franchises, despite its 2004 Ninja Gaiden technically being a reboot of Tecmo's already popular NES property. However, there are currently no plans to bring the collection to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S outside of backward compatibility.
"We did consider it, but we also wanted to get these games into the hands of players sooner rather than later. Also, if we had the time and resources for a remake, we felt it would be a better served opportunity to create a new game, so that's why we decided to go with the collection at this time."
Getting the game out to players in a more expedient and cost-effective manner is also one reason why Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection focuses on single-player content. Yasuda said attempting to replicate online systems used for game modes like Tag Missions also would have limited how many platforms the game could release on. He described the situation as a "dilemma" between more features or more accessibility, and ultimately the team decided to try and "reach as many players as possible rather than pursue the multiplayer." There will still be a ranking system available for players to compare their scores against one another online.
With all of that being said, it seems as though the ongoing coronavirus pandemic did not take a huge toll on Team Ninja. Yasuda said Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection has been in development for one-and-a-half years, but while there was initially some confusion transitioning to work-from-home policies after Japan declared a state of emergency, Team Ninja adapted quickly. The team was able to move forward with development by constructing various sharing tools and workflows, but these changes "hadn't had a completely negative effect on our development."
Despite not giving its Ninja Gaiden trilogy the full remake treatment, Team Ninja spent a lot of time reverse engineering its games to make them work as well as possible on modern devices. Sigma and Sigma 2 were brought back using PS Vita ports with fixes for framerate drops and command input issues, and this will be the first time they are available on Nintendo hardware (only Razor's Edge was previously released for the Wii U). While the Switch version of Master Collection runs at 720p, every other platform can reach 4K resolution and 60 FPS according to Yasuda - though this may fluctuate during gameplay.
"The high-speed action doesn't feel dated even when played now, and the enemies are still as tough as ever. I think returning fans and new players will find it to be a new challenge and experience."
Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection launches June 10 for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One, with backward compatibility on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.