TECMO KOEI America and Team Ninja announced today that DEAD OR ALIVE 5 will be available in stores and online retailers on September 25, 2012. After taking a hiatus, the widely recognized series returns with a new look and feel while retaining the legacy that established the series as a core fighting contender. DEAD OR ALIVE 5 will release for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Here is what TECMO KOEI had to say about the game:

“Our team is focused on making September 25th a special ‘DOA Day’ for all fans of intense martial arts combat,” said Yosuke Hayashi, Team NINJA leader. “As we approach the finish line for development of DEAD OR ALIVE 5, it’s exciting to see all the signature characters, fighting styles, and destructible fighting stages come together to create a powerful DEAD OR ALIVE experience.”

DEAD OR ALIVE 5 incorporates a variety of martial arts fighting techniques into its distinctive fighting style to create a new generation of intense DEAD OR ALIVE combat. In the game, players will once again take on the roles of the cast of DEAD OR ALIVE fighters in an action-packed brawler set in visually striking locations from around the world. The famed DEAD OR ALIVE hand-to-hand combat returns in DOA5, supported by new 3D stages that incorporate a fresh look and feel. As a fight progresses, the dynamic backdrops will be altered and skilled fighters will be able to utilize the changing environment to their strategic advantage.

Here is a special E3 Trailer TECMO KOEI released:

The cast of characters for DEAD OR ALIVE 5 includes notables from the DEAD OR ALIVE series. TECMO KOEI also has a special announcement about some extra characters. For the first time in the series’ history DOA will feature new characters from other fighting games, namely Virtua Fighter. Joining Virtua Fighter’s Akira Yuki is Sarah Bryant; both of these characters will be available in DOA 5 at launch.