UK-based independent video game developer, Ninja Theory, considers itself lucky enough to have survived in the industry following some commercial failures. Despite a decent reception, neither Heavenly Sword nor Enslaved: Odyssey to the West sold as well as the developer would have liked. However, Ninja Theory secured a deal to develop DmC: Devil May Cry for Capcom, which may just have come at the right time for the studio. Speaking to Destructoid during gamescom 2015, Ninja Theory’s Dominic Matthews said:
We’ve been lucky that we’ve been able to survive is the reality. We came off the back of DmC at a time that was very different for the console space.
The studio also tried to pitch a “big AAA blockbuster, $60 game that didn’t get anywhere.” According to Matthews, “The type of games we make can’t be sustained in the AAA blockbuster market anymore.” Ninja Theory needs to sell about 300K units of Hellblade to be able to make its money back, which Matthews doesn’t think will be easy. However, he says that it’s better than “needing to sell 5 million.”
Hellblade will be Ninja Theory’s first independent game, which is being made by a team of 15 people including Heavenly Sword art director Hugues Giboire. Matthews added that the studio intends to deliver “AAA production values” with its upcoming digital-only release.
Hellblade is being developed for the PlayStation 4 and PC.
[Source: Destructoid]
