• News

Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 appears to still be in early phases of development

According to Ninja Theory, Hellblade 2 is far grander in scope and the team is still preparing data and assets for a slice of the game.

TJ Denzer

June 17, 2021 11:05 AM

1

When Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 didn’t make an appearance at E3 2021 at all during Xbox’s showcase, there was cause for concern about the state of the game. Then we learned that Xbox Games Showcase extended would be sharing the latest updates on the game. During the show, Ninja Theory did indeed take the spotlight for a second to share what’s going on with the game. But if you were hoping for a substantial update, you’re out of luck. It would seem Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is still in a foundational period of development.

It was during the Xbox Games Showcase Extended presentation on June 17, 2021 that Ninja Theory shared the latest updates on the game. According to director Tameem Antoniades, the team is preparing a slice of gameplay to show off to players in the future, but he also mentioned that the team is upping the scale and quality of the game so much that it has extended development time by quite a bit. Ultimately, that means we didn’t even get a release window here. We did get a making-of trailer though.

The first Hellblade was an incredible game, lauded by players, critics, and here in its Shacknews review as well. Its uniquely atmospheric style, combat, and intense take on mental illness made it an incredible experience all the way through and also made the announcement of Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 cause for rejoice. With Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, the team is taking the game to Iceland and going out of its way to realistically depict the area. To that end, the development team is still out in the region, collecting photos, topographical data, and more to build out a slice of the game. Whether that slice will be playable or just a gameplay trailer remains to be seen.

Either way, it’s looking like Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is quite a ways off. If that changes, you’ll find out about it here at Shacknews. Stay tuned for the latest on the game from Ninja Theory and Xbox.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.