Team Ninja has created some games with fantastic challenges that are nonetheless scrupulously fair. But they have also struggled with misogyny, the female gaze, and shallow storytelling. I gave them a 7 because the quality of their games deserves such merit, but they have sharp limits on the quality of their games.
The Dead or Alive franchise may be their biggest problem. It is a shallow, simplistic 3D fighting game that really needs to be developed with more modern and innovative fighting game design approaches. It also represents their issues with misogyny, even as they have built a cast of strong female characters. How they'll redesign that profitably to be of better quality is a tough nut to crack.
However, I think that they've recognized that, and based on the much better tone and maturity of Ninja Gaiden 3, I think they're on the right track to become a development team worthy of a 9 or 10.