Today, during Xbox’s latest Developer_Direct, Ninja Theory provided some new details for its upcoming title, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, including the story, combat, and audio and how everything comes together to create Hellblade’s unique experience. Xbox and Ninja Theory also revealed the release date for the game. Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is set to launch on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Game Pass on May 21, 2024
Dom Matthews, Studio Head at Ninja Theory talked about the journey from the first game to Senua’s Saga. “Since the release of Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Ninja Theory has transitioned from being an independent team to one that sits within Xbox Game Studios. Although this has seen change for Ninja Theory, particularly in terms of the support now available to us for striving towards our ambitions, what has not changed is our passion and commitment to our studio mission – to craft life-changing art with game changing tech. This might sound like a lofty mission, but it is something we are proud to have achieved before in Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice – a game built in a space we called ‘Independent AAA’, where we worked with the creative spirit and freedom of independent development but strove for the types of high-end production values often only associated with AAA games. We also took advantage of the freedom that digital-only distribution offered us to create a game of the length that fit perfectly with our intended experience but could be sold at a lower price to reflect the shorter length of our story. This framework allowed us to focus on the things we really care about – taking our fans on an unforgettable journey into Senua’s unique world.”
So for the sequel, Ninja’s Theory’s approach has remained the same. The difference here, as Matthews explains is what being part of Xbox Games Studios means and how it allows the studio to go further creatively than they were able to before.
“Although we are no longer an independent studio, our creative spirit has in fact been emboldened by our joining of Xbox Game Studios, and in this new chapter of Senua’s life we have been able to push our production values way beyond what we were able to achieve previously. So, my message to players is that if you loved Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, or if you enjoy narrative-led experiences of cinematic immersion, we are building Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II for you.”
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II will be similar in length to the first game and will be sold digital-only for $49.99.
“And you can once again expect to join Senua in understanding her world through perception puzzles led by her experiences of psychosis, in brutal and visceral combat and in traversal gameplay, this time across the harsh but beautiful landscapes of 10th Century Iceland,” Matthews said. “Crucially, all these elements are intertwined in a unique visual and audio experience, where everything is in service of Senua’s story. So, you can expect more of the same, but this time with the support to push our ambitions for immersion, fidelity and richness far further than before.”