VR gaming is still in a nascent state in 2024. There’s not a lot of support from studios for the hardware, and developer Ninja Theory has added to this by confirming they have no plans to add VR to their upcoming game, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2.
This may come as a surprise to some, since the first game got a free VR update for PC in 2018, dialing up the psychosis immersion to 11. Studio head Dom Matthews has explained the decision in an interview with PCGamesN.
Hellblade 2 Will Not Support VR… Officially At Least
Matthews was directly asked in the interview if Ninja Theory was planning VR support for Hellblade 2, and he flat-out denied it. While this confirmation might be a bummer for some, all hope isn’t lost yet.
Hellblade 2 is built on Unreal Engine 5, one of the most sophisticated and powerful game engines, and one that also supports VR mods. Tools like UEVR have already been used to build VR experiences in other games built with Unreal Engine, like Palworld, even though VR wasn’t planned for those games.
Given sufficient demand from VR fans, there’s a chance VR modders could incorporate something similar for Hellblade 2. The quality and timing of such a mod are anyone’s guess, but it does offer a way for VR fans to experience the game in a far more immersive way.
Why Senua’s Next Saga Can’t Ship On Modern VR Headsets
It’s also not out of the realm of possibility that Ninja Theory could change their minds about VR later, like they did with the first Hellblade game. However, VR is a different beast these days than it was in 2018. Back then, VR for PCs was the go-to for games, offering a powerful, unrestricted experience compared to the sad early days of VR for mobile phones.
Now, standalone headsets like the Meta Quest 2 and 3 are way more popular because they’re cheaper and easier to use, but making AAA games like Hellblade run on their weaker mobile chipsets would be near-impossible.
In some cases, they’d basically have to rebuild entire chunks of the game to make it run smoothly, which makes VR development for these platforms more time-consuming and expensive, which may not make for a sizeable return-on-investment. There’s also the PSVR2, but for that to happen, Hellblade 2 would have to release on PS5 first.
Considering the work needed and the studio’s focus on making sure the game is a hit with regular players, focusing on making the game work well without VR might be the smarter move. After all, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice was a big hit with critics for its story and atmosphere, even without VR.
While the situation isn’t great for VR enthusiasts, the ingenuity of the modding community could change things, bringing Senua’s second adventure to VR at some point. Unless Xbox comes out with their own VR headset, though, tough luck for official support.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is set to launch on 21 May 2024 for PC and Xbox. Game Pass subscribers can play the game day one at no cost.
