Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z gets Unreal [Update: new screens]

Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, Tecmo Koei’s zombified new Ninja Gaiden spinoff, was announced last September.

Today, we received news that the game, in development by Spark Unlimited, Keiji Inafune and Team Ninja, will be utilizing Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 3. Platforms and release dates have not been revealed yet, so stay tuned.

Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z screens:

Read on for the announcement.

Epic Games, Inc. announced an agreement with Tecmo Koei Games to license Epic?s award-winning Unreal Engine 3 technology for the development of ?YAIBA: NINJA GAIDEN Z,? the next title in the renowned ?NINJA GAIDEN? franchise. The agreement was brokered by Epic Games Japan, which supports the company?s licensees locally.

As announced previously, Team NINJA, the world-famous development team from Tecmo Koei Games, is working on this title in collaboration with Keiji Inafune, founder and chief executive officer of comcept, and developer Spark Unlimited.

?We couldn?t be happier to develop ?YAIBA: NINJA GAIDEN Z? on Unreal Engine 3,? said Inafune. ?In the past I have been involved with numerous projects built upon Unreal Engine 3, so I understand its benefits and reliability. Unreal allows us to focus on making the game fun, and to push the boundaries of visuals and gameplay in the shortest time possible.?

??YAIBA: NINJA GAIDEN Z? is not a sequel. It is a new experience for gamers,? said Yosuke Hayashi, studio head of Team NINJA. ?As with any new title, there are many new challenges, from the game design to art style and even development team structure. Unreal Engine 3 is a great ally to have when taking on those challenges. Unreal Engine allows us to quickly and efficiently iterate on countless ideas, and ?YAIBA? is now taking on a life of its own. We can’t wait until gamers everywhere get their hands on the ultimate ninja zombie experience.?

?Gamers around the world are awaiting ?YAIBA: NINJA GAIDEN Z? with great anticipation,? said Taka Kawasaki, territory manager of Epic Games Japan. ?I?m really excited to see what the great talent at Team NINJA, comcept and Spark come up with, as they comprise some of the best creative minds in Japan and the United States. I?m honored to see how Unreal Engine 3 technology helps the team as they reinvent this beloved franchise.?

?YAIBA: NINJA GAIDEN Z? is currently in development. Tecmo Koei will reveal more information in the coming months.