“Except they had their next game greenlit”: Xbox Could Be Placing More Faith in Ninja Theory than they Did in Hi-Fi Rush’s Tango Gameworks

Is Ninja Theory also at the risk of closure, or will is it safe irrespective of the success of Hellblade 2?

Written by: Suhaib
Reviewed by: Rohit
Ninja Theory DMC Devil May Cry and Hi-Fi Rush

SUMMARY

  • According to prominent Xbox leaker Jez Corden, Ninja Theory already has their next project greenlit
  • Hellblade 2 continues the dark narrative and combat from the original game, and releases on May 21st.
  • Despite the recent closure of other studios, Ninja Theory may be safe due to the greenlit status of their upcoming project, unlike Arkane and Tango.
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According to popular and reliable Xbox leaker Jez Coden, Ninja Theory, the studio behind the Hellblade series has already gotten their next project greenlit. Corden implied that the studio’s next project could be Hellblade 3, instead of the experimental Project Mara game.

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Hellblade 2 is a sequel to the 2017 hit Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, which is out today. It was first revealed at The Game Awards in 2019 and has since been highly anticipated by fans of the original, as it features the same dark and gritty narrative with bloody combat, similar to the original game.

Is Hellblade 2 Studio Ninja Theory at the Risk of Being Shut Down?

Fans are worried about Hellblade 2 and developer Ninja Theory.
Fans are worried about Hellblade 2 and developer Ninja Theory.

It’s hard to say at this point, and this will entirely depend on what Microsoft considers a success. Currently, Xbox is super-focused on Game Pass being a major metric for success, and both full-price sales and Game Pass user numbers will be used to measure this.

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The studios that created Redfall and Hi-Fi Rush – Arkane Austin and Tango Software respectively, were recently shut down just a couple of weeks ago. Microsoft stated that this was due to a reallocation of resources to their larger, more profitable studios.

Hi-Fi Rush received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics and fans, and became Xbox’s highest-rated game in three years, which is something the company has been having trouble with lately. The game went on to win multiple awards too, including a BAFTA award for Animation.
Fans and industry analysts expressed their disappointment and shock on social media following the studio’s closure. One way that Ninja Theory differs from the risk of closure as compared to Tango and Arkane is that their next game is already greenlit if Corden’s sources are to be believed.
While Arkane was working on an immersive sim idea for their next game, and Tango wanted to make Hi-Fi Rush 2 and possibly an Evil Within 3, none of the projects at either studio were officially greenlit. If this is to be taken as an indicator of the risk of closure, then it is likely that this studio is safe for the time being.

What Exactly is the Project Mara Game?

Ninja Theory wants to provide the best look at Senua's struggles in Hellblade 2.
Ninja Theory wants to provide the best look at Senua’s struggles in Hellblade 2.

Project Mara is described as an experiment game that deals with the horrors of mental health disorders. It is a psychologically focused game, similar to their recent games. It’s aimed to be extremely grounded and realistic, and feature hyper-realistic graphics that are almost lifelike.

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The studio has been using new environmental capture techniques to make the game look extremely real, with natural lighting, reflections, textures, spatial acoustics, and immersive sound design. The game was originally revealed all the way back in January 2020, just one month after the reveal of the upcoming sequel.

The studio has reportedly been working on both games ever since. Project Mara is likely the next game that the studio will release, before moving on to their most recently greenlit project, which would presumably be Hellblade 3.

What do you think will happen with Ninja Theory, will they be safe? Feel free to let us know in the comments below.

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Written by Suhaib Adeel

Articles Published: 136

Suhaib is a Gaming Content Writer at FandomWire. He's extremely passionate about video games and movies, and loves working in the pop culture space. Some of his favorite games include Fallout: New Vegas, Disco Elysium, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Persona 5, Final Fantasy XII, Dishonored, and Bloodborne.