Rise of the Rōnin

Key art used for the game's standard physical and digital editions, depicting the player character overseeing the Black Ships

### Mode(s)

Single-player

**Rise of the Rōnin** is an upcoming 2024 action role-playing video game developed by Team Ninja and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment in partnership with Koei Tecmo for the PlayStation 5.

*Rise of the Rōnin* takes place during the Bakumatsu era of Japan in the 19th century, and follows a rōnin who must navigate through a country in crisis of political unrest, civil war and foreign influence. The game is presented from a third-person perspective and is set in an open-world environment which can be navigated on foot, on horseback or through a gliding tool. Combat features a variety of weapons such as katanas, spears and firearms. The game includes role-playing mechanics, with player decision affecting the story.

Team Ninja began work on *Rise of the Rōnin* in 2015, during the advanced stages of *Nioh*. Development progressed slow as the studio prioritized other projects. It is the third partnership between Team Ninja, Koei Tecmo and Sony Interactive Entertainment following *Nioh* and its 2020 sequel, with the latter handling marketing and publishing duties. *Rise of the Rōnin* was announced in September 2022 at Sony's State of Play presentation.

## Gameplay

*Rise of the Rōnin* is an action role-playing video game played from a third-person perspective. Players control a rōnin in an open-world environment, which can be navigated on foot, on a horseback, or through a gliding device.

## Premise

*Rise of the Rōnin* takes place during the *bakumatsu* (1853-1867), which marked the end of the Edo period (1603 - 1867) in Japan. Team Ninja has described the setting as Japan "facing the darkest of times as it struggles with its oppressive rulers and deadly diseases while western influence permeates as civil war continues to rage between the Tokugawa Shogunate and the Anti-Shogunate factions". The lead character is a *rōnin*, a masterless samurai who finds themselves embroiled in the chaotic events.

## Development

*Rise of the Rōnin* is developed by Team Ninja and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for its PlayStation 5 release; Sony and Team Ninja have previously collaborated on *Nioh* (2017), and its sequel *Nioh 2* (2020). PlayStation Studios production studio XDev is also involved with the game's production.

According to director and producer Fumihiko Yasuda, *Rise of the Rōnin* began production circa 2015, while Team Ninja was working on *Nioh* at the time. Yasuda described developing *Rise of the Rōnin* as "slowly and freely", with the game enduring development while the studio was prioritizing other titles such *Nioh 2*, *Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin* (2022) and *Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty* (2023). Yasuda and Koei Tecmo see *Rise of the Rōnin* as "taking things to the next level" in regards to the company's long-running production of games set in historical time periods, calling it Team Ninja's "most ambitious and challenging project" at the time of its announcement while taking influence from the studio's experience on games such as *Nioh* and *Ninja Gaiden*.

### Scenario

Unlike the *Nioh* duology, which was set during the *Sengoku* period, Team Ninja chose to set *Rise of the Rōnin* during the *Bakumatsu* - the end of the *Edo* period - as producer Yosuke Hayashi believed its more modern timeframe allowed for a unique setting. As a result, *Rōnin* was also developed to omit the fantastical nature of *Nioh* and *Wo Long*, as Yadusa believed it was a necessary choice to emphasize the historical drama of the game and better allow players to be immersed in the setting and story. Team Ninja implemented historical figures such as Sakamoto Ryōma and Yoshida Shōin, but otherwise decided to tell a fictional narrative to allow the players an element of choice.

## Release

*Rise of the Rōnin* was announced in September 2022 during Sony's State of Play presentation prior to Tokyo Game Show 2022, with a tentative release window of 2024. Story, gameplay and release details, as well as screenshots, of *Rise of the Ronin* were leaked in July 2023. A second trailer premiered during The Game Awards 2023 ceremony in December 2023, with pre-orders prepared to begin on December 14, 2023, and a release date scheduled to March 22, 2024.

In addition to the standard physical and digital releases of *Rise of the Rōnin*, the game will also have a Digital Deluxe edition, which includes two outfit sets, two weapons, a digital artbook and the soundtrack. Pre-order bonuses include an armor set and a weapon based on Team Ninja's previous series *Ninja Gaiden*, and four combat styles inspired by *Ninja Gaiden* and *Nioh*.

## Reception

### Sales

Following its announcement, Koei Tecmo expressed its hope that *Rise of the Rōnin* would manage to sell 5 million copies in its lifetime, describing it as "strategic pillar" to the company's mid-growth strategy.

## Gallery

### Trailers

Rise of the Ronin - State of Play Sep 2022 Reveal Trailer - PS5 GamesRise of the Ronin - Pre-Order Trailer - PS5 Games
## References

1. ↑ https://www.thegamer.com/europe-based-sony-xdev-is-helping-team-ninja-develop-rise-of-the-ronin/
2. ↑ https://blog.playstation.com/2022/09/13/revealing-rise-of-the-ronin-a-new-action-rpg-from-team-ninja/
3. ↑ Stewart, Marcus. December 19, 2023. Rise of the Rōnin: Team Ninja Discusses Crafting Its First Open World Where You Shouldn't Kill Everything On Sight, *Game Informer*.
Yosuke Hayashi: "But we wanted this new Bakumatsu, which is sort of the end of the Edo era, …it's a lot more modern, so we thought it allows for a unique setting when we were thinking about creating a fiction story inspired by a certain moment in time. It allowed for a very unique setting for us."
4. ↑ Stewart, Marcus. December 19, 2023. Rise of the Rōnin: Team Ninja Discusses Crafting Its First Open World Where You Shouldn't Kill Everything On Sight, *Game Informer*.
"Unlike the fantastical Nioh and Wo Long, Rise of the Rōnin shuns those supernatural elements in favor of telling a more grounded historical drama. Yasuda believes this is necessary for players to fully immerse themselves into the story and setting. Expect to encounter several real-life figures of the era, such as Sakamoto Ryōma and Yoshida Shōin. Though the narrative weaves in real-life events, it’s a fictional tale that players have the freedom to mold thanks to the inclusion of choices. "
5. ↑ https://www.shacknews.com/article/132271/rise-of-the-ronin-from-team-ninja-coming-to-ps5-in-2024
6. ↑ https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2023/07/rise-of-the-ronin-leak-suggests-a-q1-2024-launch-on-ps5-more-details
7. ↑ https://www.gameinformer.com/the-game-awards-2023/2023/12/07/team-ninjas-rise-of-the-ronin-gets-march-release-date-in-new
8. ↑ https://gamingbolt.com/rise-of-the-ronin-digital-deluxe-edition-and-pre-order-bonuses-revealed
9. ↑ https://gamingbolt.com/rise-of-the-ronin-koei-tecmo-hopes-to-sell-over-5-million-copies