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Ninja Gaiden 4

Facts

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reaches 120fps on current consoles · 2026-09-09
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project began in August 2024 · 2026-09-09
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set a four-month target for a 120fps vertical slice · 2026-09-09
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method combined early scope cuts, per-scene frame targets, and a QA-engine iteration loop · 2026-09-09
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finished optimization across all stages by February 2025 · 2026-09-09
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The developers explained how they built Ninja Gaiden 4's combat. · 2026-08-06
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NINJA GAIDEN 4 development process · 2026-08-20

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All coverage

5h ago

NINJA GAIDEN 4's 120fps Push Relied on Early Scope Cuts, CEDEC Talk Shows

At CEDEC 2026, four engine engineers from I.Meisters and PlatinumGames explained how NINJA GAIDEN 4 reaches 120fps on current consoles. The project began in August 2024 with the game not even running at 30fps, and the team set a four-month target for a 120fps vertical slice. Their method combined early scope cuts, per-scene frame targets, and a QA-engine iteration loop that let the game team finish optimization across all stages by February 2025.

Aug 29

Ninja Gaiden 4 Devs Explain Their No-Rework Combat Design Process

At CEDEC 2026, PlatinumGames producer and director Yuji Nakao and lead game designer and combat director Takuma Ishikawa detailed the design flow behind Ninja Gaiden 4. The session covered writing concepts as player experiences rather than feelings, a three-stage system design process to avoid rework, and enemy design centered on the player's perspective. The talk aimed to help developers build combat actions they can play in their heads before implementing them.

Aug 20

NINJA GAIDEN 4 Team Details Design Flow That Aims to Prevent Rework

At CEDEC 2026, PlatinumGames' Yuji Nakao and Takuma Ishikawa explained the NINJA GAIDEN 4 development process. Nakao emphasized writing concepts as player experiences rather than feelings, and using a three-stage system design to simulate specifications before implementation. The session aimed to reduce rework by making the game 'playable in your head' first.

Aug 6

Ninja Gaiden 4 Devs Detail Their No-Prototype Action Design Philosophy

At CEDEC 2026, PlatinumGames designers Takuma Ishikawa and Yuji Nakao explained how they built Ninja Gaiden 4's combat. The session stressed avoiding early prototyping, writing out systems before implementation, and defining player experience in concrete terms rather than abstract feelings. The team simulates gameplay on paper first to reduce rework.