GungHo on why Ninjala was delayed and the decision to feature ninjas
The action game Ninjala was announced for Switch at E3 2018 with plans for release in Spring 2019. It was eventually delayed by a full year with GungHo now planning on releasing the title in Spring 2020.
In an interview with Noisy Pixel, GungHo Online Entertainment CEO Kazuki Morishita discussed why Ninjala was pushed back as well as recent improvements that have been implemented. Morishita explained:
“We announced the delay because we wanted the online gameplay to be an enjoyable experience for the player and with low latency issues. Since then, we’ve brushed up a lot of what you’ve seen in the past of the game and the action is more enjoyable. We’ve improved the controls and I personally feel the game’s development is going well. I am currently writing new story elements for the game so I’ll be returning to that once I get back to work.”
Morishita also noted the following as to why Ninjala was given the green light in the first place and explained why they focused on ninjas:
“I typically enjoy fantasy games, that’s why I’ve put so much time into making games like Puzzle & Dragons – very user-friendly and happy. After that though, I became tired and so I turned my focused to Let it Die to tap into my darker fantasy side. Although, following that game, my angel side reemerged and that’s around the time Ninjala came into my life.
I wanted the game to have Japanese roots, but also have a global appeal, that’s why we went with ninjas. When you’re a little kid you pick up a stick and imitate these ninja-like moves and I wanted to return to that imaginative world of playing as a ninja. I didn’t want the game to be cutting and killing, but instead I wanted it to focus on being a little more kid-friendly where the user will gain points. This is also where the idea of using gum as a weapon came about, which is also used to execute ninja skills.”
