Namco Bandai enlists Ninja Theory for mystery project

One of Sony's headline releases for the PlayStation 3 in 2007 was Ninja Theory's Heavenly Sword, a God of War-esque action adventure that featured a nubile heroine wielding a massive weapon. The game received substantial hype, appearing in a number of television spots advertising Sony's PS3. However, Heavenly Sword proved only a middling hit, selling less than 400,000 units in the US, according to The NPD Group.

Beyond unconfirmed rumors that Sony had put the brakes on a Heavenly Sword sequel, not much has been heard from Ninja Theory since the original game's launch. That changed today, though, as Namco Bandai announced as part of GamesCom in Cologne, Germany, that it will publish Ninja Theory's next project. Namco Bandai offered no name for the game, saying only that it would be available for the Xbox 360 and PS3 in 2010.

Other than saying that it will be an original property, Namco Bandai and Ninja Theory offered scant few details on the project. According to the British studio's cofounder, Nina Kristensen, the game will offer "rich storytelling, cutting-edge technology, and exciting gameplay beyond anything we have created before." Namco Bandai chief operating officer Makoto Iwai went on to say that the game will offer highly "cinematic" gameplay.

For more on GamesCom, check out GameSpot's continuing coverage live from Germany.