IGNCube has done some good investigative work and delivered information on a rumored game, Ninja Gaiden. In fact, Ninja Gaiden is an official title and will feature Ryu Hayabusa, be set in 3D & include all new game mechanics. Yet it is a rumored title for GameCube; after all, according to what we last heard, it was heading for PS2—which Tecmo officially announced last year. At E3 2001, the title's director Tomonobu Itagaki, the head of Team Ninja, said that the title's release platform was still undecided. Interesting!

This only helped fuel rumors that Tecmo may be considered for Nintendo's GameCube. IGNCube contacted Tecmo for comment & found that the company was reluctant to divulge specifics, but did note that it is "planning to release Ninja Gaiden next year," and that GameCube is definitely one of the consoles in the running, though X-Box is also being considered. Dead or Alive 3 which features Ninja Gaiden’s Ryu Hyabusa is already heading to the X-Box.

"If you look at our history, there is definitely a lot of support on the Nintendo side from fans of the original Ninja Gaiden," said Tecmo's George Ngo, who added speculatively, "and that's definitely a good reason for us to develop for GameCube."

Last month Tecmo revealed in its financial report that it has one GCN title in development. Additionally, at E3 2001 Team Ninja's Itagaki-san was seen at Nintendo GameCube's booth and later the game director was said to have been very pleased with the console.

Let’s hope this encouraging report becomes an official confirmation for Ninja Gaiden for GameCube in the coming months!