Team Ninja was formed byTomonobu Itagaki as Tecmo Creative #3.[1] The team was formed from a group of game designers working atTecmo specifically for the purpose of creating the home versions of the fighting game seriesDead or Alive.[2] During the mid-1990s, Japanese gaming companyTecmo was in financial trouble. Seeing how popularSega'sVirtua Fighter series was in Japan at the time, the management askedTomonobu Itagaki to create a game similar toVirtua Fighter.[3] In order to stand out from otherfighting games, Team Ninja focused on makingDead or Alive fast-paced and provocative. Itagaki believed that violence and sexuality were needed for "true entertainment". TheDead or Alive series became a critical and commercial success, and was also a key part in saving Tecmo from bankruptcy.[4]
In 1999, the division was renamed Team Ninja to give Tecmo an identity and be recognized as an elite team.[4] That same year, Team Ninja started work on a newNinja Gaiden project, originally intended forarcades, later for theDreamcast. Due toSega exiting the console business, development was moved to the PlayStation 2.[5][6]
However, due to Itagaki being impressed by the technological capabilities of the newXbox fromMicrosoft, development was moved to that platform.Ninja Gaiden would be released in 2004 to rave critical acclaim.[7][8][9]
In 2009, it was announced that Tecmo andKoei would be merging.[10] The newly foundedKoei Tecmo would officially disband Tecmo in 2010.[11][12] A year later all of Tecmo's assets were absorbed into Koei Tecmo, including IP and its subsidiaries and divisions. Team Ninja would continue as subsidiary of Koei Tecmo.[13]
In 2013, following a reconstructing of Koei Tecmo, Team Ninja would cease to exist internally, being renamed Koei Tecmo Ichigaya, with Yosuke Hayashi subsequently becoming Head of the Ichigaya Development Group.[14] The developer was also split into two distinct development teams, one led byNinja Gaiden Sigma director Yosuke Hayashi and one led byFatal Frame producer Keisuke Kikuchi.[15] Further restructuring at Koei Tecmo in 2016 resulted in Team Tachyon, the developers behindQuantum Theory as well asRygar: The Battle of Argus being shut down. A large amount of developers were moved to Team Ninja.[16]
In 2017, Team Ninja released their newaction role-playing gameNioh to great critical response.[17][18]Nioh originally started development in 2004 at Koei, and was moved between multiple developers, such asOmega Force, before Koei approached Team Ninja after the merger in 2010 to help develop the game.[19] When first presented with the project by Koei, Team Ninja staff were skeptic about the game's concept, citing the western protagonist inSengoku-era Japan, as well as various mechanics.[19] Despite these uncertainties, development was fully transferred to Team Ninja in 2012.[20][19][21] The title would go on to receive multiple awards,[22][23][24][25] and became Team Ninja's best-selling title.[26] They releasedMarvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order for theNintendo Switch in 2019 as well asDead or Alive 6. Team Ninja released the prequel toNioh,Nioh 2, in March 2020. A compilation ofNinja Gaiden series, dubbedNinja Gaiden: Master Collection, released in June 2021. Team Ninja also developedStranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, which released in 2022.[27]
As of 2022, Yosuke Hayashi had left Team Ninja to serve as the general manager of Koei Tecmo's entertainment division,[28] with Fumihiko Yasuda replacing him as president.[29]Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty was announced the same year, being produced by Team Ninja lead Fumihiko Yasuda, who led the development onNioh andNioh 2, as well as Masaaki Yamagiwa. Yamagiwa, who joined Team Ninja in 2021 after the closure ofSony Interactive Entertainment'sJapan Studio, was previously producer onBloodborne.[30][31] It released in 2023.Rise of the Rōnin, another collaboration with Sony, was released in 2024.[32]
Team Ninja celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2025.[33]Ninja Gaiden 4 andNioh 3 were subsequently revealed and due to release on October 21, 2025, and in early 2026 respectively for this occasion.[34][35]
Tomonobu Itagaki was promoted to Tecmo Executive Officer in June 2004, as well as to General Manager in 2006, alongside his position as the head of Team Ninja. In 2007 due to a lawsuit regarding allegedsexual harassment, his manager roles would be revoked. Although he was later judged innocent by a Tokyo district court, the lawsuit permanently strained the relationship between Itagaki and Tecmo.[36] On June 3, 2008, Itagaki announced that he would be leaving Tecmo and Team Ninja on July 1, 2008, citing difficulties with the company. In the same statement announcing his resignation, he also announced that he was filing a lawsuit against Tecmo president, Yoshimi Yasuda, over unpaid bonuses for his work onDead or Alive 4 for the Xbox 360. It was later reported that he was fired from Tecmo on June 18, 2008, in retaliation for his lawsuit.[37] Another lawsuit followed shortly after which was filed on 16 June by two plaintiffs on behalf of Tecmo's 300 employees for unpaid wages amounting to ¥8.3 million.[38] Many of his colleagues at Team Ninja quit as well to join him at his new game development team,Valhalla Game Studios. Some ex-Team Ninja members also helped withUbisoft'sTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up.[39] The two parties would settle in February 2010 for an undisclosed amount.[40] After Itagaki's departure, Yosuke Hayashi would subsequently serve as the new lead at Team Ninja until his departure in 2022. Fumihiko Yasuda serves as the new president since.[28][29]
Team Ninja's provocative style, originally coined by Itagaki,[4] is a point of contention in discussion of its works. While often having been praised, withDead or Alive'sKasumi being regarded as a modern-daysex symbol[41][42] andMTV UK labeling her as one of the sexiest characters in video games,[43] Team Ninja has also been accused ofobjectifying women.[44][45] In a 2012 Interview withKotaku, Yosuke Hayashi said that Team Ninja was "very misinterpreted" outside of Japan, and that there's no derogatory intention in their creation process: "We can't help if other cultures in other countries around the globe think that it's a bad representation"[46] In 2016, Team Ninja garnered public attention after their decision to not releaseDead or Alive Xtreme 3 in North America or Europe, reigniting a controversy within thevideo game industry about the sexualised portrayal of female characters within their games.[45][47][48]Shuhei Yoshida, president ofSony Interactive Entertainment at the time, said in a statement with regards toDead or Alive Xtreme 3 that Europe and North America have cultural differences about how to depict women in video games and other media.[49]
In 2008, the German Rating BoardUSK refused classification forNinja Gaiden II, banning the game for sale in Germany, due to the title's excessive violence. The game's publisher,Microsoft, had no interest in releasing a compromised, cut version of the game.[50] This would later affect the development of thePlayStation 3 version, dubbedSigma 2, as the game's violence was significantly toned down.[51]Sigma 2 received classification in Germany.[52]
Dead or Alive: Dimensions ban in Sweden and Australia
In 2011,Dead or Alive: Dimensions was banned inSweden, due to the rating board determining that the characters appeared too young.[53] Due to Sweden's ban on the title, Australian politicianBrendan O'Connor urged theAustralian Classification Board to reexamine the title, resulting in the game getting its classification revoked and being removed from sale.Nintendo, the publisher of the game in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, stated thatDead or Alive: Dimensions contained no objectionable content and resubmitted the game. The classification was reinstated shortly thereafter.[54][55]
In 2019, Team Ninja garnered controversy due to alivestream ofDead or Alive 6 atEvo Japan 2019 featuringgravure idols. The livestream was forcibly shut down by theEvolution Championship Series. The co-founder and CEO of EVO, Joey Cuellar, issued an apology saying that "the stream does not reflect the core values of EVO" and that they had to end the stream to "protect the integrity" of EVO. Mark Julio, head of global business at EVO, later appeared live during the tournament to issue an apology, saying that the content showcased by a partner of EVO wouldn't "reflect the content and intention" of theesports organiser.[56][57][58][59]Evo 2020 would be cancelled and Cuellar removed as CEO due to a history of sexual abuse towards male minors coming to light.[60]
According to reports,Rise of the Rōnin would not release in South Korea, due to Fumihiko Yasuda comparingShoin Yoshida, a controversial figure in South Korea, toSocrates. In a statement to gameindustry.biz, Sony gave official confirmation that the game would not release in South Korea, saying "We can confirm that the title is not going to be sold/published in South Korea in any form", but did not provide an official reason.[61]
Dead or Alive: Code Chronos - A prequel to theDead or Alive series which was going to focus on the backstory ofKasumi andAyane and reportedly was not going to be a fighting game. It was cancelled in November 2010.[69]
Project Progressive - A project that was originally planned for the Xbox, but its development moved to the Xbox 360. It was cancelled in November 2010.[69]
Ninja Gaiden 3DS - ANintendo 3DS project announced by Team Ninja in 2011.[70] It was quietly cancelled at a later date.[71]
