Xbox, Koei Tecmo, and Team Ninja honoured the upcoming launch of Ninja Gaiden 4 with a record-breaking stunt performed over Miami.
When video games launch, people do not think about launching it in the sky. Xbox, Koei Tecmo, and Team Ninja honoured the upcoming launch of Ninja Gaiden 4 with a record-breaking stunt performed over Miami. To celebrate tomorrow’s game release, two helicopters made history over the Miami city skyline and waters. One helicopter was carrying a 26-foot wide screen (200+ sq ft in size), the other with Team Ninja Community Manager, Emmanuel “Master” Rodriguez, and diamond-certified recording artist Swae Lee. The event set a new Guinness World Records title for the largest video game display flown by helicopter.
In case the giant flying screen was not enough to peak your interest, Rodriguez and Lee played Ninja Gaiden 4 for a whole evening on that same screen. On the Xbox Wire release, Xbox revealed that “technology played a starring role in making this dream a reality. Using advanced sports broadcasting tech, we streamed live gameplay from Emmanuel’s helicopter to the massive screen – built by pioneering aerial media company, Heli-D – in the other.”
So, why did the three teams and Lee do this stunt? The inspiration behind this stunt was said to come straight from Ninja Gaiden 4’s in-game lore. The denizens of Tokyo have escaped the toxic floodwaters by building skyward. The skyscraper district towers above the ruined city below, a breathtaking vertical landscape that mirrors the high-flying action that the teams brought to life. As the two helicopters soared above Miami showing off the game’s intense combat, the video also played snippets of an exclusive new record from Swae Lee entitled ‘Flammable’.
Not sure if this was a distracting hazard to the city below, but it was cool to see how they pulled it off in the video. Much like Yakumo of the Raven ninja clan perfectly leaping into the night battles, this was a perfect display of executing a dangerous, well-thought out stunt. The release also noted the importance of this event, “This is more than a launch; it’s a celebration of everything Ninja Gaiden 4 stands for — precision, skill, and pushing limits. From the game’s lore-rich skyscrapers to the Miami skyline we soared across, we’ve redefined what it means to experience a video game live.”
Lee is best known for his Grammy-nominated track, ‘Sunflower’, which became the first-ever song to be certified 2x Diamond by the RIAA and holds one of the biggest streaming records in history. In addition to ‘Sunflower’, Lee’s contributions to hits like Travis Scott’s ‘Sicko Mode’ have also earned diamond certifications, further cementing his place as a dominant force in modern music. Even before all that, Lee was known as the younger and melodic half of southern hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd.
CGMagazine’s Philip Watson wrote on the Ninja Gaiden 4 preview, “Ninja Gaiden 4 is a return to form after its 12-year hiatus, bringing another fast-paced action title to the forefront of gaming.” Watson went on write how “scenic camera angles, high-octane action and an overall great time are all present under the hood, thanks to the new partnership between these two action game powerhouses.” The two powerhouses meaning Ninja Gaiden 3, and Bayonetta 3 director Yuji Nakao and Team Ninja veteran Masakazu Hirayama, who help bring the original Ninja Gaiden (2004) director, Tomonobu Itagaki’s vision to life.
Ninja Gaiden 4 arrives tomorrow, October 21 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, Xbox Cloud, Xbox Play Anywhere – also available on Steam and PlayStation 5. Play it day one with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
