Today, Team Ninja unleashed Patch 1.26 for Nioh 2, a free update that adds a skin for Ninja Gaiden‘s Ryu Hayabusa that all players can access at no extra cost. This announcement arrived just in time for the surprise reveal of Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection, which stopped the internet in its tracks yesterday during Nintendo’s February Nintendo Direct presentation.

While the collection marks Team Ninja’s first Ninja Gaiden project in quite some time, the beloved franchise’s DNA is very much embedded in the studio’s Nioh series. The first Nioh installment hit PlayStation 4 and PC platforms in 2017; Nioh 2 followed in its footsteps in early 2020, originally launching on the PS4 before recently slashing its way onto PC and PlayStation 5. Since the prequel and all of its DLC is out the door, along with remastered releases for both titles, Team Ninja is setting Nioh aside for a while. Evidently, the crew still has a few surprises tucked up its sleeve, however.

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In celebrating the announcement of Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection, Team Ninja deployed patch 1.26 for Nioh 2, an update that gives all players free access to the “Dragon Ninja” skin. As the name suggests, this is no ordinary skin; rather, the item allows Nioh 2 players to transform their character into Ninja Gaiden’s Ryu Hayabusa. Users can receive this special bonus by opening the in-game Shrine menu and navigating over to the Boons tab. Update 1.26 additionally introduces a slew of bug fixes across PS4, PS5, and Steam, according to Team Ninja’s patch notes.

If this marks the last big piece of content Team Ninja releases for Nioh 2, it certainly seems the best way to go out. And, clearly, the crew isn’t finished with Ninja Gaiden just yet. Team Ninja has spoken candidly in the past about wanting to return to Ninja Gaiden at some point. Thus, the Nioh 2 update and the forthcoming Master Collection could be a gateway to something even more exciting.

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Beyond the aforementioned collection, Team Ninja and publisher Koei Tecmo remains quiet about the studio’s future plans. However, multiple projects are set to begin production sometime this year. When fans will receive concrete details about said projects currently remains to be seen.

Nioh 2 is playable now on PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 platforms. Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection hits Nintendo Switch, PC via Steam, PS4, and Xbox One this summer on June 10.

Source: Team Ninja (1, 2)

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Brianna Reeves
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A Senior Writer on Screen Rant’s Game News team, Brianna Reeves graduated from Sam Houston Statue University in 2018 with a Master of Arts in English Literature. Brianna’s enthusiasm for games dates back to Mortal Kombat Trilogy on PlayStation 1, along with classics like MediEvil, Syphon Filter, and THPS2. However, Red Dead Redemption reinvigorated her love for the medium; hopefully, that passion reflects in the work she has contributed to Comic Book Resources, PlayStation LifeStyle, GVMERS, and Screen Rant.

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