As part of another wave of Xbox job losses, Microsoft has confirmed it intends to shutter Hellblade studio Ninja Theory.
Previously, it was thought the British team had found a buyer, just like the State of Decay 3 team Undead Labs. However, an update from Xbox executive Matt Booty revealed that talks with two separate companies surrounding an acquisition had failed.
As a result, Microsoft intends to close Ninja Theory.
"Unfortunately, two separate agreements for Ninja Theory fell through," Booty said. "We will now begin consultation with employees on a proposed closure while continuing to explore other paths forward."
Unless circumstances change quickly, it'll be an incredibly disappointing end for a storied team. Ninja Theory created Heavenly Sword, a PS3 exclusive, and then made one of my favourites, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West.
DmC: Devil May Cry came after, and then it dabbled with Disney Infinity. For the past decade, though, it's predominantly been working on the Hellblade series. A third entry, simply named Senua, was announced earlier this year, but now it seems that project will never see the light of day. It'll die along with the studio unless something changes.
The news comes as part of large structural changes within the Xbox division, which sees 268 job cuts affecting Halo Studios and other parts of the company. Also, Activision is making the next Halo title and Obsidian is being folded into Bethesda. Read more in the linked article:
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2026/09/microsoft-closing-hellblade-dev-ninja-theory-after-failed-buyout-talks
