Summary
After the recent announcement thatXboxisclosing down Hi-Fi Rush and Redfall developers Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin, it feels as though no studio is safe from being shuttered at the moment. Hi-Fi Rush was critically acclaimed, beloved by many, and won more than a few awards, but Tango was shut down a little under a year and a half after launch, giving off the perception that the only thing Xbox really gives a damn about is a game’s sales.
With that in mind, a lot of fans are starting to look at Xbox’s more niche titles in the pipeline and starting to worry about their respective studios. Double Fine, Obsidian, and Undead Labs have all been thrown around as studios Xbox fans are worried about, but with the release ofSenua’s Saga: Hellblade 2on the horizon, it’s developer Ninja Theory that is drawing the most concerned looks at the moment.
There are a couple of reasons why, but most of it is down to how niche of a title it’s going to be compared to how much money it’s likely to cost Ninja Theory and Xbox to make. We know that Hellblade 2 is going to beNinja Theory’s attempt to break boundaries on the graphical front, delivering a stunning, polished title that pushes the technical limitations of the Xbox Series X. That won’t be cheap, and fans are now concerned that it may not be profitable enough for Xbox if it’s shutting down successful studios like Tango.
Xbox Fans Are Urging Everyone To Buy Hellblade 2
Feeling like the potential future of Ninja Theory is on the line if Hellblade 2 doesn’t sell well, Xbox fans have now started urging anyone and everyone interested in the title tobuy it and Xbox’s other titles, rather than play them on Xbox Game Pass. There’s a fear on social media at the moment that Xbox Game Pass is leading to reduced sales for Xbox titles, and following the closure of Tango Gameworks, you’re able to now find people asking others to skip Game Pass and just buy Helldblade 2 outright.
Hellblade 2 isn’t going to make Call of Duty or Starfield money, and we know from Hi-Fi Rush that the critical success of a title just doesn’t matter to Xbox. Hopefully, Ninja Theory isn’t affected by the changes at Xbox, Hellblade 2 has an extremely successful launch, and is widely praised for it, but withmore cuts reportedly comingand growing unease surrounding Xbox, coupled with a Game Pass launch, you may’t help but worry a little bit about Ninja Theory and some of Xbox’s other smaller developers.
