Is Ninja Gaiden due for a complete reinvention? Comments made by Tecmo producer Yosuke Hayashi indicate as such.

He recently told Play Magazine UK that Ninja Gaiden III is going back to the drawing board, calling NG2 — Itagaki’s final attempt on the franchise — ‘outdated.’ His bullish words don’t end there, as he also says that Bayonetta, despite being critically received, feels old game-design wise.

“Bayonetta has some good stuff but Bayonetta is old, game design wise, already,” he said.

Hayashi added: “Difficulty level is not the main element we are focusing on. The focus we have is that a new Ryu Hayabusa is the main character for Ninja Gaiden III. Also, we are aiming to be the number one 3D action game. If we can do that we are fine not focusing on difficulty level. We don’t care. But to prevent misunderstanding, Ninja Gaiden fans will still really love it. That is our responsibility. We make sure the fans of the series are satisfied by our game.”

Tecmo is gearing up to showcase Ninja Gaiden 3 for the first time — in playable form — at E3 this year.

Follow this author on Twitter.

Read more: Ninja Gaiden II Breaks One Million Barrier,  Tecmo Touts Ninja Gaiden 3 As Spectacular,  Tecmo Drops Ninja Gaiden 3 Teaser, Full Reveal At E3 2011,  Ninja Gaiden 3 Arriving with Collectors Edition on March 20,  Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Dated, Hits PS3 September 29