NINJA GAIDEN 4 Team Details Design Flow That Aims to Prevent Rework
The session offers a concrete, reusable design methodology for action games that prioritizes pre-implementation simulation to cut rework, a workflow applicable beyond AAA teams.
Reporting from 1 source: GameBusiness.jp.
At CEDEC 2026, PlatinumGames' Yuji Nakao and Takuma Ishikawa explained the NINJA GAIDEN 4 development process. Nakao emphasized writing concepts as player experiences rather than feelings, and using a three-stage system design to simulate specifications before implementation. The session aimed to reduce rework by making the game 'playable in your head' first.
Nakao's concept design for NINJA GAIDEN 4 is built on three words: 'adversity,' 'brutality,' and 'change.' Player action is defined along two axes: 'delicate' and 'bold.' He argued that concepts should describe the experience the game provides, not feelings like 'exhilarating' or 'pleasurable,' because writing the experience makes it easier to check whether each specification deviates from the concept.
He illustrated this with a comparison between a neck-choking action and a decapitation action. The former was rejected as visually subdued, while the latter was adopted because it 'feels clean and satisfying' and better embodies brutality.
For system design, Nakao stated that 'implement and test' should be avoided as much as possible, saying there is no specification that cannot be understood without implementing it. The three-stage process divides systems into basic, applied, and development elements, organizes their relationships, and consolidates them into a single action cycle.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.