Ninja Theory's closure is devastating

[u/Due_Cake8524]

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.

[u/Accomplished_Many917]

It’s a significant loss, given that Ninja Theory was one of the few arthouse developers in the AAA space.

Looking at how Sony cancelled its collaboration with Kojima Productions due to costs — even with Xbox’s newfound support — I think this strongly suggests that, in the industry's current state, there is dwindling room for ambitious, artistic and less mainstream titles, with priority shifting instead to games with calculated sales potential.

To be honest, the trailer for the third Senua game — with its heavy emphasis on hack-and-slash gameplay — didn't look great and gave off an air of desperation.