The original Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice was billed as a big indie for PS4, launching as a console exclusive on Sony’s system all the way back in 2017. It was later ported to various other platforms, and Cambridge-based developer Ninja Theory was eventually scooped up as part of Microsoft’s acquisition spree. The title’s long-awaited sequel, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, will launch as an Xbox exclusive later this month.
But with Microsoft committed to bringing more and more of its first-party titles to PS5, a report on The Verge reveals that a port of the action-adventure outing is potentially in the pipeline. Trusted tech journalist Tom Warren writes that he “understands” the Redmond firm is “considering” releasing the sequel on Sony’s system. That’s quite a vague statement at this stage, but it does seem safe to assume from comments made by CEO Satya Nadella that more Xbox software will eventually come to PlayStation in the future.
From the outside looking in, Microsoft’s gaming division appears to be in dire straits right now. Earlier this week, it shuttered well-loved Bethesda studios Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin, and it sounds like they won’t be the last teams to be let go, as the trillion-dollar tech titan tangles with its exorbitant acquisition expenditure these past few years. Boss Phil Spencer and his allies have bet the bank on the Game Pass business model, but data shows subscriptions simply aren’t moving the needle right now.
[source theverge.com]
Comments 70
No doubt guaranteed it will come on PS5 sooner or later.....
Yeah I think we'll probably see this one on PS5 next year. (Assuming they don't shutdown Ninja Theory before then! 😭)
On a personal level, I was a big fan of the original Hellblade, so there's no doubt I'd be there day one for its sequel.
Microsoft will port most of they’re games to ps5 at this point they have to.
You know, I almost forgot this is coming out in under two weeks. Maybe previews are coming out soon to help build some hype.
Yeah, this seems par the course for Microsoft's third party publisher push. At this point, I expect Starfield first and, eventually, Hellblade 2 and Indiana Jones. Feels like we just got to play the waiting game, which I'm more than fine with considering how much there is to play these days.
This game has had zero marketing, i own a Xbox and loved the first game yet i forgot it was even out this month. I fear for Ninja Theory.
@DennisReynolds yes Microsoft dont market any of their games its perplexing
I think ninja theory and machine games must be nervously looking over their shoulder at Microsoft
Never a better time to be a PS5 gamer. We get ALL the games now. Get ***** Microsoft
If I was Sony I would offer to buy the studio off of them maybe then we could possibly get a Heavenly Sword Remake and a Sequel out of it.
nothing is being pondered. the decision has already been made. what is there to ponder at this point? whether microsoft likes money or not? haha
@Areus i like heavenly Sword. Not sure if it did well sales wise to get a reboot. But i sure did like it. Kind of miss it now that you mentioned it. 😊
@zhoont True, but it don’t solve the problem that Sony is running at 4% profit margins and MS will be bringing in loads of money. Sony has to figure out how to get costs down and profits up or it’s going to be more investors taking their money elsewhere. Fix that and it’s looking good for team blue.
@HonestHick you do know Sony trying to buy Paramount right now so they have money to spend.
@HonestHick The Problem Heavenly Sword had was that it came out during the early days of the PS3 back when everything we have now was unrefined if they remade and overhauled the game I think it would do a lot better now than back then especially if the game looks as good as hellblade 2 does.
@Jay767 they aren’t broke per se, but they do carry debt tho. As of December 2023 they carry $31.25 billion in debt. So while they are worth around 100 billion they carry more debt than most would like to see according to stock investors.. Hence why they need the PS division to run a higher profit margin 😊
@Areus yeah for sure. I loved the game. I bought it and thought it was at the time one of the better looking games. I liked the environments and action. Great game from what i remember. Thats been a while since i thought about it 😊
@HonestHick it’s embarrassing a supposed to be broke company like sony currently slowly pushing Microsoft out the console market😊.
I loved all of Ninja Theory's games except Hellblade, my god how boring. All of Ninja Theory's games had been fast pace but this one you had to slowly walk everywhere with sprinkles of simple action (their previous game was DmC!) and a really obnoxious voice that wouldn't stay quiet.
Even saying all that I really wish Sony had snatched them up, a remake of Heavenly Sword with some of the fighting of DmC would have been goty material. Now we have to watch them possibly close because we know Hellblade 2 is not going to do Fortnite numbers which is apparently what Microsoft would deem a success 🤷
Good. Still will play it for free in 2 weeks on Gamepass but will buy it on PS5 then.
Surreal, the first big game since the last 3 years (Last of Us 2) and at the same time first potential masterpiece since then.
Hope the leaving of Tameem Antoniades has no negative impact. Only recently replayed the first one and god damn, what an incredible rare great experience.
The first one is one of the only games that I’ve had to stop playing due to it making me physically feel uncomfortable. Pushed through Control despite the bizarre migraines due to the lighting and motion blur combo but I couldn’t do the same with Hellblade. I played with headphones and the voices felt like someone took my brain out and dipped it in the very worst, lowest points of my life. I’m not entirely sure why either, could be whatever frequency they’re at and my brain not enjoying it at all. You could say I could just play it muted but I guess I didn’t see the point by then. Only other thing to produce that same feeling is that one album by the dude from Have A Nice Life, messed my brain up.
(Deconstructionist by Giles Corey, don’t listen if you’ve ever felt disassociative, apparently you can reach essentially a state of nirvana through hypnotism listening to it if you’re that way inclined though)
This would be great! The first one had an incredible atmosphere, and some of the most intense boss fights I’ve seen.
That is the game I am most hyped by Xbox games coming to PS5.
Yes, please. The first one was superb. Such a fascinating premise
@DennisReynolds personally I've seen alot of adds for it online on various sites, on YouTube and in the socials. Targeted adds I suppose
@Jay767 well Sony isn't looking to buy paramount just by themselves tbf
I see this having mediocre sales and Ninja Theory getting shut down according to comments here this game is out in like a fortnight? I had no idea seen no advertising for it not to mention Tameem bailed from the Studio maybe he saw the writing on the wall
@zhoont IDK. PC really seems to be the way now.
At this point MS should bow out.
Playstation can be the "Winner" lol. And most people should just get a PC.
From here on out, It'll be PS vs Nintendo. Honestly not even worth talking about Xbox anymore.
Nice. I got the plat for the first one. Would be nice to get the other one too. Either way Im playing it on my xbox first. I cant wait for this game.
I really hope so. Of all the studio purchases Microsoft made, Ninja Theory was the one that made my head turn. I'm not really a huge Bethesda guy. I'm definitely not an Activision guy. Ninja Theory though? I'm a huge fan of their work ever since Heavenly Sword so it hurt to see them lose their independence.
Needless to say, following the recent Xbox news, I'm very worried for their future. The complete lack of marketing also doesn't strike me as a good sign.
@nessisonett A big aspect of the game was transferring the feeling of discomfort through psychosis that the protagonist is going through to the player, so I guess they did a good job! Did you enjoy the film you used for your avatar? That sure has some sounds that make you uncomfortable.
I hope the studio makes it through, as I loved the first game and don't have an Xbox, but I worry for the studios behind these big-budget titles that aren't aimed completely at the mainstream audience.
It seems if you're not either a 2-man indie dev getting a good return on a small investment, or a AAA studio getting a massive return on a massive investment, then you're on the publishers chopping block!
@DennisReynolds this puzzles me. I don’t understand why they don’t market their console or games more. They certainly used to (remember the terrific ‘birth to death’ ad?) but this generation they don’t even seem to have tried at all. 🤷♂️
@makk_zucc
Out in 2 weeks??!!! Really!!!
I didn't know, I have seen ZERO marketing for it.
If this was a Playstation tentpole release there'd by posters all over the underground and on London buses, with perhaps a Senua statue appearing somewhere overnight for example.
@DennisReynolds they can market it "Hellblade returns home" when it comes out on PS5 or "From the Studio that got away".
Oh yeah, definitely one I would consider picking up. One of only 2 or 3 of the Xbox studio games that I have interest in. Really loved the first game. Which sounds weird because it’s a fairly miserable narrative and very gloomy, but I guess that’s why we play games — to get the full spectrum of emotional submersion. It’s why I liked the melancholy The Last of Us Part II and the depressing and punishing Souls games. Happy games are nice to have too. We all need a little Ratchet & Clank or Astrobot from time to time also. 😄
But yeah, bring on Hellblade II. Barring poor reviews I’d probably be there day 1 on PS5.
As a cambridge regular, Ninja Theory have spent most of their MS money on an obnoxiously hipster bar under their studio while MS sack actually decent studios like Tango
While I did unknowingly wait for hi-fi rush because of latency concerns,, I am going to be moving forward with Hellblade through cloud gaming on my iPhone and a quality pair of headphones. It’s not an ideal circumstance, but I’ve played games via this approach a handful of times in the past for titles, such as tunic, nobody saves the world, Pentiment and Signalis. It works well enough and given the cinematic nature I think I should be OK though I know I’m losing a lot elements of the game. I was completely enthralled with the first game and don’t wanna wait unless there’s clear indication that it’s coming in this year PS5
@Jay767 its up there with a toy company with a GPU as strong as a iPhone 4 and a online network not as good as 20 year old OG Xbox with games running at 24fps pushed Sony to closed all their Japan studios and head to California.
Nah MS is simply beating themselves at this point and thats not a knock on PS. I don’t like MS as a company so some of this is fun to watch as a 20 year long Apple user. But i do like my Xbox mainly for the controller as I’ve said before and Gears of war. But Steve Jobs was right about MS and it’s starting to show more and more. At this point i wish MS would just go 3rd party and bring the controller out for PS. Be one less console to buy. 😊
If Sony had bought Ninja Theory back in the day, the marketing for Hellblade 2 would have been absolutely insane by now. 2 weeks out and hardly anything from Xbox is just the norm these days. This is definitely going to be on PlayStation in the not too distant future. As far as Ninja Theory itself goes, co founder Tameem Antoniades left a while ago from the company and with the amount of time and money that Hellblade 2 has cost Microsoft, this is going to have to be a gargantuan hit or these guys days are numbered big time. I just can’t see them making anything that is going to be considered a must have game after Senuas latest adventure!
@Supern0va It’s a fine line, Eraserhead is amazing and definitely weird as hell but it doesn’t have the same binaural sounds!
Well, that would be something... The series did start a timed-exclusive PlayStation game so it'd be cool, just crazy the way it would be happening. Always will be a shame NT sold out to MS. Hope Hellblade 2 does well because I'd hate to see NT be the next studio lost.
@HonestHick
Yeah, Heavenly Sword is awesome, one of the main reasons I bought a PS3 in 2007 rather than wait until the next summer for MGS 4. It didn't light up the sales charts, sadly, which is probably why we never even got a remaster during PS4's early years when it seemed like every PS3 game was making its way over.
The problem for Microsoft here is that this is a niche title about mental health. It's a technical showcase but not a mainstream action title. They are missing out on FOMO purchases, from actual paying customers, not GP subs. I think it'll have mixed to middling reviews and game length to price ratio will effect post release sales. Starfield has missed that window massively. It could have sold a staggering amount of units at launch, on Playstation, at full price. I even looked into upgrading my PC but the FOMO eventually wore off.
They should start by releasing a PS5 update for the original. It was ridiculous how they only did a Series X/S version, when the original sold quite well on PS4 while it was a console exclusive. I doubt Xbox would've purchased Ninja Theory if the game had tanked, so why not support those players as well?
@Gamer83 true, there are still a lot of PS3 games i would love to see come to PS5 in a remaster. Not sure that will ever happen. But it would be really nice seeing the PS3 is a BC nightmare.
Likely will. Can't see a positive outcome sales wise for the exclusives MS are offering at this point due to backlash, which does inherently feed into the problem.
It begs the question though. If Xbox were concerned about the pitches made by Tango and Arkane Austin regarding resources and proposed length of development in relation to possible returns.... What's stopping Ninja Theory from being in the same boat here? Large game (relative to the others at least), high development cost and a VERY long dev time. If it doesn't make the money... Are they going to fare the same fate even with the game releasing on other platforms? Are they going to take the hit? And if so, how does that affect morale for those burned from the closures?
Xbox have zero clue what they're doing and they're on the verge of having similar optics in the eyes of the people and even within their own company as Embracer.
@PeakUnagi I 100% believe they are going to announce Starfield for PS5 at their June showcase with a release alongside Shattered Space in September.
With all the publishers Microsoft purchased, this is the game I was most upset about losing on PlayStation.
Movie-sque, short story, amazing graphics. Sounds like the kind of game PS gamers like.
@jmac1686 That would definitely be huge. The thought of PlayStation showing off an Xbox game that's coming to their platform still feels surreal to me, despite everything that's been building up.
will play it if its 60 fps only
@Lup you posted this exact same comment over on pure xbox. It's okay to enjoy games they all offer you know.
@DennisReynolds
I was just over at Pure Xbox reading their article about the same rumour and this is the only topic of conversation surrounding this game. There is literally no fanfare for this game that is coming in less than 2 weeks, anywhere, as far as I can tell. If this was a PS5 exclusive releasing this month Push Square would have had an article a day about it. But Pure Xbox...nothing. Just the rumour it's coming to PS5
@Lup
What kind of games do people on Xbox want then? Generic shooters? Fortnite clones? Minecraft? Roblox? More Bluey? I mean whatever floats your boat. But seriously, what do Xbox owners want on their system that would make them happy?
At this point, it is mind boggling that Phill Spencer is still running this ***** show. He made all the wrong bets, from Game Pass to the ABK deal. How come Satya is still buying his excuses?
@MikeOrator Its strange because the first is a great game and the sequel looks even better. I shell hold out for the PS5 release purely because i own a Series S and i don't want to play it with SS limitations.
It’s only a matter of time. Bring all of your games, Uncle Phil. We’ll buy them. Port Blinx and add trophies.
I'm telling you MS will do one last console box and then become a fully software company back to their roots. They will put Gamepass on everything they can and games on all platforms via its own because it's already their.
PC, laptops, phones, handhelds and TV it's built by others and they provide the service it would increase profit and cuts costs with no consoles being made by them.
If they decide to release this on PS5 sooner or later, that works for me. If I hadn't practically given up on Xbox a year or two ago, this would have been one of my most anticipated games of the year. It looks like it should be great.
While obviously the Bethesda news from this week has been awful, I think people are jumping to conclusions if they think ones like Ninja Theory would be in danger. I think at least them and Obsidian, two they bought well before Bethesda, are fairly safe.
My guess is that the game will release to good reviews, possibly win a BAFTA. Fail to reach sales targets because of Game Pass, launch on PS5 next year, and then Ninja Theory will be closed.
Getting so bored of these Twitter rumour articles they nearly every day now.
This studio is 10000% getting shut down.
They're lucky they're in the stage of development they are, otherwise they'd have been added to this months bin with the other studios.
@Jay767 their**
@Old_Man_Harper yeah that ad was awesome. Unfortunately OFCOM banned it due to a handful of people complaining.
Meanwhile in the real world, COD is going to Gamepass day one as verified by the head of Xbox Sarah Bond talking to Bloomberg.
No mention of any titles going to PlayStation not even anymore very old AA titles.
This game is just overhyped arthouse critics fodder. I have a feeling everyone is going to praise this up again but ultimately no one is actually playing it and it will be a letdown financially
I hope I'm wrongbut this was a lot of dev time for another short, 6 - 8 hr samey on rails/qte filled walking simulator experience that isn't looking to expand on the scope and success of why people seemed to like this back then. Despite many of those features being extremely dated now.
This game is due out in less than a month and we've seen next to nothing of it. This has flop written all over it.
port it to PS5 and then close Ninja Theory lol
I'm in if this comes to PS5.. please take my money
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