Dead or Alive 5

Unreleased

Dead or Alive 5 will be the fifth main installment in the Dead or Alive series. It will be the first main title of the series to be released since Dead or Alive 4 in 2005 and the twelfth game in the overall series.

Currently in the pre-alpha stages of development, Dead or Alive 5 is being produced by Team Ninja and will be published by Tecmo Koei. The game has been given a 2012 release date - seven years after Dead or Alive 4 - and will be made available for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Early Stages
For about half a decade, Dead or Alive 5 has had a uneasy conception, and the possibly of the game even being released seemed very unlikely at some points.

In 2006, after the release of Dead or Alive 4, series creator Tomonobu Itagaki stated in an interview with 1UP.com that he had the first concepts for Dead or Alive 5 in mind. However, two years later, in a interview with CVG, Itagaki was asked about the Dead or Alive series and replied: "This is another area that me and my closest colleagues all agree that we were able to achieve the definitive fighting game with "Dead or Alive 4". So we're not looking to extend the series at this point."

Even if he did had Dead or Alive 5 in the planning stages, Itagaki had sued Tecmo and resigned from the company in 2008, along with several other colleagues, stating that this would lead to the end of production for Dead or Alive 5 and its series. However, Tecmo replied with the announcement that Team Ninja would not be dissolved upon Itagaki's departure, stating that both the Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive franchises would remain in production, and "some projects were already underway."

Two years after Itagaki's depeature from the company, Team Ninja produced Dead or Alive Paradise in 2010, and Dead or Alive: Dimensions in May 2011.

In April 2011, the currect head of Team Ninja, Yosuke Hayashi told Eurogamer that after Dead or Alive: Dimensions received "positive feedback and responses from consumers" there was definitely a future for series. When the publisher asked "Will Dead or Alive 5 appear on home consoles, including the and ?", Hayashi repayed that Team Ninja "will take that into consideration", hinting that Dead or Alive 5 or other Dead or Alive game would be devoloped in the future. To back up the possibility of a sequal, the story of Dimensions finished on a cliffhanger scene, showing Victor Donovan putting on Genra's mask before fading to black.

Official Annoucement
On September 9th, 2011, Team Ninja announced on their official Twitter feed that they would be appearing at the Tokyo Game Show 2011, for the playable debut of Ninja Gaiden III, as well as to showcase a new game.

On September 14, 2011, Team Ninja revealed Dead or Alive 5 during a press event at TGS, and showed media personal a brief gameplay demonstration, featuring Hayate and Ryu Hayabusa, and a promotional image showing the lower half of a female fighter's face, with the text "I'm a Fighter" superimposed over the image. The woman in the image is believed to be Kasumi (see left).

During the demo, Team Ninja was quoted saying that the stages in Dead or Alive 5 will no longer be "sidekicks" to the action, but critical parts of the competitive experience, with the whole game revolving around the theme "fighting entertainment."

Shortly after its reveal, a official website for Dead or Alive 5 was opened, but currently it only features the same promotional image that was shown at TGS.

Trivia

 * Dead or Alive 5 will be the first Dead or Alive game for the PlayStation 3.