The original Ninja Gaiden Black and II code was apparently lost

People who missed their first 3D action Ninja Gaiden games released on the islands (and the one we didn’t talk about in 2012) will have a chance to play all three next June, in Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection, announced for Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PS4. But, unfortunately, the first two entries in the trilogy will be based on the Sigma reissues that originally came out for PS3 and PS Vita, not their definitive versions (Ninja Gaiden Black for the original Xbox and Ninja Gaiden II for Xbox 360) because the team says its source code has disappeared.

Citing a recent Famitsu interview (via Kotaku), an employee of developer Team Ninja told the publication that “only fragments of data remain. We couldn’t save them. ”Therefore, it is not that the company prefers the Sigma remakes of the beloved original titles: this was Team Ninja’s only option, apparently.

“I am aware that there are pros and cons,” said Fumihiko Yasuda, Team Ninja brand manager, referring to the Sigma remakes. “For me, personally, Ninja Gaiden II it was my debut, and that’s why I have a deep feeling for it ”, said Yasuda in Famitsu. The professionals he’s talking about are the graphics and performance improvements and the extra content. Cons are more plentiful, like how many people felt Ninja Gaiden Sigma and Sigma II were made more easily than the 2004, 2005 and 2008 copies of these games, and that some of the design levels, game items, story beats and enemies have been changed. The interview does not address whether data from the original 2004 version of Ninja Gaiden still exists, or if Sigma it is really the only complete copy of the game that exists.

I’m still looking forward to playing all of those games again, possibly on my Nintendo Switch, but this is yet another example of why preservation in games is so important. These are not even particularly old titles, with the original Ninja Gaiden launching on the Xbox just 17 years ago. But regardless of age, the rich history of games is best remembered for having those games around, rather than wishing they still existed. Well, it’s time to get my copy of Ninja Gaiden Black and never let go.