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GungHo wanted to move away from the "violent, murderous" portrayal of ninjas for something more pop-like in Ninjala

Ninja fun for everyone
by rawmeatcowboy
24 June 2020
GN Version 5.0

Ninjala may be a game about ninjas, but it's certainly not the usual portrayal that we see. Instead of dark, sneaky, and violent characters dashing through the night, Ninjala features brightly-colored kid characters in a more vibrant, playful setting. In an interview with Eurogamer, GungHo Online CEO Kazuki Morishita explained that decision.

"When you think about ninjas in games, though, it's often a darker thing - it's violent, murderous. I wanted something more adaptable for kids, that's more pop and that's about how you felt as a kid. It's very innocent. I was thinking how could we do this from a user side? I had the ideas of ninja, and action game - what could be interesting? So one day I was chewing gum - I don't normally chew gum! - and that's when this idea came about. After that I started adding in stories, characters - but it all started from the design first."

[Link]