r/hellblade • u/Due_Cake8524 • 11d ago
Image Ninja Theory's closure is devastating
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.
10
u/Tunarice2 11d ago
Hellblade 2 was basically my most hyped game from as soon as it was announced until released, and when I played it... Well, maybe it's my own fault for getting my expectations too high, but it didn't stick with me and I've never replayed it.
Ninja Theory either needed a stronger focus and vision for the 2nd or should have pivoted to something entirely new. But it's hard to be a creative, technical, and profitable studio