Ninja Gaiden 4, the long-awaited fourth mainline entry in the iconic action franchise, graces the next cover of Game Informer, and we could not be more excited to feature both the new protagonist, Yakumo, and his counterpart, the series’ longtime hero, Ryu Hayabusa, on the full spread of our cover art. The digital issue goes live today at GameInformer.com/NinjaGaiden4, with print subscriptions rolling out in a few weeks. If you haven’t subscribed yet, there’s still time to get the Ninja Gaiden 4 issue shipped to your mailbox.
The Ninja Gaiden franchise has been dormant for more than a decade, but 2025 has been a big comeback year for the series. Koei Tecmo kicked off the year with an Unreal Engine 5 remaster of the beloved Ninja Gaiden 2, followed by Dotemu and The Game Kitchen’s incredible retro-facing Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound. However, the franchise’s 2025 is far from over, as the first mainline entry in more than 13 years is set to hit this October. Just like Ninja Gaiden 4 delivers action starring two ninjas, it also unites two fabled game studios: series developer Team Ninja and the acclaimed action team at PlatinumGames.
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We flew to Tokyo, Japan, to spend a day in PlatinumGames’ headquarters, talking to various members of the team from both studios and playing through the first several chapters of the story. Our cover story explores how Team Ninja united with the studio behind such beloved titles as Nier: Automata, Astral Chain, and the Bayonetta series, plus a deep dive into what to expect when the game launches in October.
The Ninja Gaiden 4 cover story is the centerpiece, but our next issue is so much more than that article. If you’re new to Ninja Gaiden, our editor-in-chief Matt Miller runs down the history and importance of the franchise. Wesley LeBlanc spent a week in Beijing and Shanghai, China, to go in-depth with the promising action title Phantom Blade Zero. Marcus Stewart caught up with the indie masters at Shovel Knight developer Yacht Club Games to dig into what makes Mina the Hollower such an exciting prospect. Charles Harte spoke with the team behind Dispatch about rising from the ruins of Telltale Games to create a humorous superhero game. We also have a conversation with prolific voice actor and Critical Role dungeon master extraordinaire Matt Mercer, as well as a piece from award-winning comedy writer Mike Drucker about the legacy of King’s Quest and its creator Roberta Williams.
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We’ve rounded out this issue with a diverse selection of previews and reviews. Within the pages of this issue, we have previews for Pokémon Legends: Z-A, Skate, Ghost of Yōtei, Battlefield 6, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, and more. You’ll also find reviews for games like Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, Madden NFL 26, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, Donkey Kong Bananza, and more.
If you’re not subscribed yet, this is an excellent issue to sign up for, and if you do it today, you’ll be just in time to get a physical copy of this issue in your mailbox. Print copies will ship out in the coming weeks, but all subscribers can log in to our website and access the content the same way you’re accessing this article starting today.
