Ninja Gaiden Devs Pursuing New Genre in 2009

Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive developers Team Ninja is planning to tackle a new genre in a title aimed for release next year, according to Bloomberg.

Going by details in a Game|Life translation of the report, the game—which recently saw the resignation of former studio head Tomonobu Itagaki—is being developed by Tecmo-owned Team Ninja with the Western market in mind.

"'New game, new genre, new geographical area, new leader' are our four keywords," said Tecmo president Yoshimi Yasuda.

Tecmo's roster of released games include titles best categorized as survival horror, role-playing, third-person action and myriad other genres. With the revealed emphasis on the Western market, a first-person shooter or something similar seems a likely fit for the new title.

The developer appears eager to shift attention away from its current legal woes and back to game development. Following Itagaki's resignation and lawsuit over unpaid bonuses, Tecmo also battled rumors of a massive staff exodus.