"Awards Aren't What I Will Remember Most": Hellblade Dev Reportedly Begins Layoffs
What will happen to Senua?
In case you missed it
In case you missed it
Ninja Theory
Ninja Theory, the studio behind the Hellblade series, may be in the process of letting go of its employees.
Brought to the public attention by former Game Developer journalist Chris Kerr, employees at the UK studio began sharing on LinkedIn that their roles are at risk of redundancy and that they are looking for new job opportunities. Kerr refers to the words of Alessio Mellina, Expert Technical Sound Designer, who shared that his role is at risk of redundancy and expressed gratitude to his colleagues: "I joined Ninja back in January 2015, and I feel so lucky to have been part of such a stellar team." Kett also cites Gameplay Programmer Katrin Mair, who said: "Ninja Theory was never just a job to me."
Other studio employees share similar news. Thus, Senior Technical Artist Matt Le-Fevre published the regretful post, anticipating the alleged closure about a week ago: "Sadly, my role at Ninja Theory is at risk. It's been a privilege to work with such exceptionally talented and passionate people and I count myself lucky to have had the opportunity."
Loong-Wei Ding, Technical Director, recalled the studio's long and interesting way, including creating games that won BAFTAs and The Game Awards, and paid tribute to the studio's team: "But the awards aren't what I will remember most. I'll remember the people." Rachel Kimber, Performance Capture Technician, shared a heartfelt post, saying: "Ninja Theory has been some of the best years of my life, but sadly it is time to say goodbye."
Ninja Theory
Expert PCap Tech Xoe Suvari commented on the sad news with impressive and emotional words, praising the team and the experience at the studio: "It's taken me a while to decide what to say about working here, and I still have to borrow the words of a friend and fellow Ninja: Even if I knew how it would end, I would do it again." He continued: "It's easy to say that there was something special about Ninja, but it's hard to put what it was into words."
The news came after Xbox reported that deals involving Ninja Theory fell through, and the gaming company allegedly began consulting employees about a possible closure. Currently, it's unclear how many employees are affected by the job cuts.
In June, Xbox announced a sequel to Hellblade II, Senua, which would be developed by Ninja Theory. The game has a 2027 release window and is set to launch on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation 5. Another studio's project, Mara, an experimental horror game announced in 2020, was canceled in favor of the sequel. Now, there is no information on what will happen to Senua.
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