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Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, developer Ninja Theory’s sequel to 2017’sHellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, is officially less than a month from release. The upcoming title boasts incredibly lifelike graphics, a new Icelandic setting, a matured Senua, and most importantly, a hard-hitting story.
The studio has previously spoken aboutdialing up the immersion for the sequel, with the story being a key part of the process. However, the January 2024 Xbox Developer_Direct revealed that it’ll have an 8-hour runtime and cost $50. After 7 years in development, many expected a longer story, but Ninja Theory head Dom Matthews stands by the studio’s decision.
Ninja Theory Fans Want Smaller Games
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrificewas a short single-player experience that left a big impression on players. In an interview withIGN, Matthews explained whyHellblade 2is of a similar length as its predecessor:
I think what we always set out to do is to tell a story and for the game length to be appropriate for the story that we want to tell. So it’s not really a case of setting out to make shorter experiences. I think it is… There is a story that we want to tell here with a beginning, middle and end and what is the right shape and size of experience to tell that story? So that’s kind of where we start.
“The big takeaway from the first game for me was…”: Ninja Theory Earns Fan Respect, Reveals True Message Behind Hellblade 2
Matthews says that Ninja Theory’starget audience prefers these tighter experiences, and that digital distribution “has opened the industry up to games of all shapes and sizes.” A lot of people like games with well-contained, meaningful stories that don’t require hundreds of hours to be sunk into them, and Matthews admits to being “one of those people.“
Every Second OfHellblade 2Will Be “Meaningful”
Matthews also highlights that they want to respect the players’ time, and a shorter, punchier story was the best way to go about it:
I think there’s a lot of pressure on people’s time these days and I think our fans, from what we hear from them, they enjoy a shorter game where our intention is that every step of that journey is meaningful… There’s an audience of people that want games that are focused.
“There’s way more chaos in it”: Senua’s Saga Boss Hints Hellblade 2 Can Play Mind Games With You
Hellblade 2has been in the works for years, and there’s inevitably a subset of gamers whowanted a longer runtimeto make the wait worthwhile. Thankfully, Ninja Theory realized this, and priced the game at $50 to reflect its smaller size, surprising many who were expecting a full-fat $70 price tag.
By choosing to focus on a more potent, concentrated story,Hellblade 2forgoes the current trend of making 100-hour games full of bloat. We’veneeded more AAA titlesthat respect the players’ time, and Ninja Theory has stepped up to the challenge with one of the highest-quality experiences possible.
Hellblade 2’s Ninja Theory Included 1 Development Trick that’ll Make Players Feel Every Second of Senua’s Psychosis in Every Terrifying Way
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2releases on 13 July 2025 for Xbox Series X/S and PC.
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Content Writer
Articles Published :247
A lifelong gamer, lover of cars, and Master’s student of Automotive Journalism, Viraaj Bhatnagar is a gaming writer at FandomWire who aims to be one of the greats. When he’s not hunched over on his laptop typing out copy, he can be found lapping circuits in Gran Turismo or slaying draugr in God of War.
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