Sega summoning 3DS Shinobi?

Source: The Twitter feed of enduring Internet sleuth Superannuation.

What we heard: Sega hasn't done much with its Shinobi ninja franchise since 2002, when it rebooted the series as a 3D action title for the PlayStation 2. That revival proved to be short lived, as the franchise returned to the shadows after Shinobi's 2004 follow-up, Nightshade. However, after more than seven years undercover, it appears as if Sega is preparing its lethal ninja for a new mission.

In a Twitter post today, Superannuation relayed the online resume of an environment artist at Foundation 9's Griptonite Games who claims to be working on a new installment in the Shinobi franchise for the 3DS. Though the resume has since been pulled, the environment artist indicated on it that he had produced "hand painted and photo referenced textures" for the game.

Griptonite Games is no stranger to the industry, with its first released game dating back to 2000. Notably, the Washington-based studio has established its reputation as a studio commissioned to create portable installments of console titles. As one recent example, Griptonite is handling the 3DS and DS versions of Warner Bros.' upcoming Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters. That game's console installments are in development at Double Helix, a fellow Foundation 9 studio.

The official story: A Sega representative told GameSpot that the publisher "is not commenting on this at the moment."

Bogus or not bogus?: Looking not bogus. The Shinobi franchise has deep roots at Sega, having briefly served as company mascot in the 1980s. The real question now is whether Shinobi will appear solely on the 3DS or if an as-yet-undetected console installment is also in development.