Ninja Gaiden 2 Black remaster demands significant storage space
Team Ninja’s latest remaster brings enhanced visuals at the cost of unprecedented installation size.
The recently shadow-dropped Ninja Gaiden 2 Black has sparked discussions among players regarding its substantial storage requirements. The remastered version of the 2008 action classic now demands 86 GB of storage space, marking a dramatic increase from the original release’s modest 7 GB footprint.
This latest iteration arrives as part of Xbox‘s Developer Direct showcase, which also unveiled several other anticipated titles including Doom: The Dark Ages, South of Midnight, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The showcase’s highlight was the announcement of Ninja Gaiden 4, a collaborative project between Team Ninja and PlatinumGames.
Ninja Gaiden 2’s journey through various releases makes this the fourth version of the game. Originally launched as an Xbox 360 exclusive in 2008, it later expanded to other platforms as Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 in 2009. A PlayStation Vita version, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Plus, followed in 2013, with Sigma 2 later included in the 2021 Ninja Gaiden Master Collection.
Ninja Gaiden franchise expansion continues despite storage concerns
The new file size puts Ninja Gaiden 2 Black in unexpected company, coming close to Team Ninja’s 2024 PS5 exclusive Rise of the Ronin and matching the storage requirements of 2020’s Nioh 2. For comparison, the Ninja Gaiden Master Collection, which contains all three original titles in their Sigma versions, requires only 14 GB of space.
The increased storage requirement likely stems from the implementation of enhanced graphics and the game’s transition to Unreal Engine 5. While these improvements deliver the most visually advanced version of the game to date, the storage demands have raised eyebrows, especially considering the game’s linear structure rather than an open-world design.
Koei Tecmo has dubbed 2025 the “Year of the Ninja,” with three major releases planned. Beyond Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, fans can anticipate Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, a 2D action sidescroller from Blasphemous developers The Game Kitchen. The lineup culminates with Ninja Gaiden 4, scheduled for a Fall release, completing an unprecedented year for the franchise.