{"rewrite":{"id":"r_62d7307f3aaaaa2285500cd0","clusterId":"c_b832eb4388eb164cf60540a3","slug":"ninja-gaiden-4-team-details-design-flow-that-aims-to-prevent-rework","model":"deepseek-v4-flash:free","headline":"NINJA GAIDEN 4 Team Details Design Flow That Aims to Prevent Rework","summary":"At CEDEC 2026, PlatinumGames' Yuji Nakao and Takuma Ishikawa explained the NINJA GAIDEN 4 development process. Nakao emphasized writing concepts as player experiences rather than feelings, and using a three-stage system design to simulate specifications before implementation. The session aimed to reduce rework by making the game 'playable in your head' first.","whyItMatters":"The session offers a concrete, reusable design methodology for action games that prioritizes pre-implementation simulation to cut rework, a workflow applicable beyond AAA teams.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eNakao\u0026#39;s concept design for NINJA GAIDEN 4 is built on three words: \u0026#39;adversity,\u0026#39; \u0026#39;brutality,\u0026#39; and \u0026#39;change.\u0026#39; Player action is defined along two axes: \u0026#39;delicate\u0026#39; and \u0026#39;bold.\u0026#39; He argued that concepts should describe the experience the game provides, not feelings like \u0026#39;exhilarating\u0026#39; or \u0026#39;pleasurable,\u0026#39; because writing the experience makes it easier to check whether each specification deviates from the concept.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHe illustrated this with a comparison between a neck-choking action and a decapitation action. The former was rejected as visually subdued, while the latter was adopted because it \u0026#39;feels clean and satisfying\u0026#39; and better embodies brutality.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor system design, Nakao stated that \u0026#39;implement and test\u0026#39; should be avoided as much as possible, saying there is no specification that cannot be understood without implementing it. The three-stage process divides systems into basic, applied, and development elements, organizes their relationships, and consolidates them into a single action cycle.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"NINJA GAIDEN 4's design flow treats player experience as a written spec before any code exists. Nakao's three-stage system design is an admission that rework happens when the game is not playable in the head first.","twitterPost":"NINJA GAIDEN 4's concept-first writing and three-stage system design target rework by making the game playable in the head before implementation.","threadsPost":"NINJA GAIDEN 4's dev team is tackling rework at the concept stage. Nakao's method: write player experiences, not feelings, and simulate specs through a three-stage system before any code. The goal is a game that is 'playable in your head' before it is playable on screen.","newsletterBlurb":"At CEDEC 2026, PlatinumGames' Yuji Nakao and Takuma Ishikawa detailed the NINJA GAIDEN 4 design flow. Nakao emphasized writing concepts as player experiences rather than feelings, and using a three-stage system design to simulate specifications before implementation, aiming to reduce rework.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"GameBusiness.jp\",\"url\":\"https://www.gamebusiness.jp/article/2026/08/20/27752.html\",\"title\":\"Prioritizing Player Experience: How the 'NINJA GAIDEN 4' Development Team Creates Battle Action You Can 'Play in Your Head' Before Making It [CEDEC 2026 Session Report]\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4625,"outputTokens":640,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1787216508,"createdAt":"2026-08-20T08:52:32.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-08-20T08:56:44.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-20T08:52:32.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_b832eb4388eb164cf60540a3","canonicalTitle":"プレイヤー体験を最優先に。『NINJA GAIDEN 4』開発陣が語る、作る前に“頭の中で遊べる”バトルアクションの作り方【CEDEC 2026 セッションレポート】","representativeArticleId":"a_24377a1eee45f45023f1f565","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"NINJA GAIDEN 4\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-08-20T07:40:03.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-08-20T07:40:03.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-20T08:56:45.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"GameBusiness.jp","url":"https://www.gamebusiness.jp/article/2026/08/20/27752.html","title":"プレイヤー体験を最優先に。『NINJA GAIDEN 4』開発陣が語る、作る前に“頭の中で遊べる”バトルアクションの作り方【CEDEC 2026 セッションレポート】"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["NINJA GAIDEN 4"],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"news","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}