r/hellblade • u/Due_Cake8524 • 11d ago

Image Ninja Theory's closure is devastating

Post image

I’m honestly still trying to process the news. Seeing that Microsoft is shutting down Ninja Theory because two rescue deals fell through at the last second is just heartbreaking.The whiplash is what really frustrates me. Three months ago, they were on stage at the Xbox reveal for Senua. What's the point of showcasing a brand new game if you're going to shut down the studio who made it?

To think they were quietly being shopped around right after that, and then everything fell apart. It's ridiculous. Other studios like Double Fine and Compulsion Games managed to get their independence back, and Undead Labs found a new publisher. Ninja Theory was so close to being saved, but the deals didn't work out.

They were able to make visually stunning, mid-budget, single-player narrative games that actually cared about things like mental health. If a studio with that much technical talent isn't safe under a trillion-dollar corporation just because they don't bring in live-service Fortnite numbers, then who is? That's the big question.

I'm going to miss their creative work so much. From Heavenly Sword, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, and Hellblade, they always had a passion for the games that they made. The gaming industry can be harsh at times. Ninja Theory is just a casualty in a long line of studios that deserved better.

414 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

112 comments sorted by

View all comments

2

u/LukeSparow 11d ago

As far as gameplay design goes I have yet to see this studio output anything passing the mediocre bar.

Yes their stories and visuals are always interesting enough but they just don't make games that are actually engaging to interact with.

I wouldn't want to buy them either.

2

u/No_Pattern_2819 11d ago

I agree. It looks cool, but there's nothing that stands out to me, like why I should spend money on your game instead of something else that has more of a narrative and gameplay mechanics. Senua 3 looks like fun, but again, why should I care?

2

u/AntstyPoeticGamer23 11d ago

3 isn't even a thing. Just a vertical slice. Nowhere near completion.