Fans of Koei Tecmo’s Nioh series received a bit of unfortunate news in a recent interview with series director Fumihiko Yasuda and The Gamer. While there are technically no plans for a third entry in the series, Yasuda stated that he would like to return to the series at some point in the future.
“In terms of a sequel right now, [Nioh series developer] Team Ninja would like to focus on working on new titles, so there really isn’t a plan for Nioh 3 at this point,” Yasuda said. “But after creating some new projects and gaining some new experience and skills from those new potential projects, I would like to go back to the series at some point, utilize all the experience and new skills that we gain from some new projects, and then potentially, go back into the series at that point, and create an even greater game to surpass Nioh and Nioh 2 and to create something even better.”
As for the series making its way to the Xbox, Yasuda stated that while there are no current plans, there’s always a possibility, given Team Ninja’s past with the Ninja Gaiden series Microsoft. “There are no current plans for the Nioh series to be on Xbox consoles at this point,” Yasuda said with a laugh, “but of course the Ninja Gaiden series has had a long history on Microsoft’s consoles. So if there was to be a new title in the Ninja Gaiden series in the future, we’d definitely like that to be on Xbox consoles.”
Speaking of Ninja Gaiden, Yasuda did drop hints of Ryu Hyabusa’s return. “Nothing to announce or note specifically this time, but if the Ninja Gaiden series hadn’t existed, then there wouldn’t have been a Nioh series,” Yasuda said. “So that’s a really important series to Team Ninja. While we don’t have anything specific to announce at this time, I would like to say just look forward to some potential news for some kind of announcement in the near future.”
Nioh Collection, as well as Nioh Remastered – Complete Edition and Nioh 2 Remastered – Complete Edition, are due out for PlayStation 5 on February 5 worldwide. Nioh 2 Remastered – Complete Edition will also be available on PC via Steam the same day. Owners of Nioh or Nioh 2 for PlayStation 4 will receive a free upgrade to the Remastered version.