After its reveal following the unveiling of the Xbox Series X next-gen console at The Game Awards 2019, Ninja Theory’s Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II garnered a lot of excitement among fans. And following Microsoft’s acquisition of developer Ninja Theory—the studio behind the original Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice—many wondered if the sequel would be headed to other platforms besides Xbox and PC. Unfortunately for those planning on getting a PS5 next year, Hellblade II will not be making its way to PlayStation, at least not any time soon (if at all).
According to Xbox Game Marketing Rep Aaron Greenberg, Hellblade II is “being made exclusively for Xbox and PC,” despite the original being available on PS4 and Nintendo Switch. Considering Ninja Theory is a first-party Microsoft studio now, it would perhaps be more surprising for the game to be a multiplatform release. Although, certain exceptions have been made, like Minecraft, a franchise that is owned by Microsoft but still supported and purchasable on other platforms including PS4 and Nintendo Switch—though the game was already out on PlayStation prior to the Microsoft acquisition. (Editor’s Note: Sony’s first-party MLB The Show series will be going multiplatform and could set a precedent.) Ninja Theory is also gearing up to release Bleeding Edge exclusively for Xbox One and PC in March of 2020.
It’s being made exclusively for Xbox and PC.
— Aaron Greenberg (@aarongreenberg) December 18, 2019
There’s a bit of irony in Hellblade 2 being an Xbox exclusive. The original Hellblade came to PS4 in 2017 as a timed exclusive and was later ported to Xbox One in 2018 and Nintendo Switch in 2019. It received critical praise for its visuals, writing, audio design, and ability to tastefully tackle issues with mental health. Speaking of mental health and audio design, it’s highly recommended to play Hellblade with headphones to fully engross yourself in the mind of someone dealing with psychosis. (Editor’s Note: The sound design was done using binaural audio which mimics the way that the human ear actually hears sounds, making headphones convey the sounds more viscerally than standard stereo or surround sound formats.)
Only a short trailer for Hellblade II was shown which did not feature gameplay. We know it’s coming to Microsoft’s next-generation console, the Xbox Series X, although a specific release date was not revealed.
[Source: Twitter]
