New Hellblade That's More of a 'Game' Reportedly In the Works, Ninja Theory No Longer Working on Project Mara

Xbox workplace Ninja Theory is moving connected a 3rd large Hellblade game, a caller study has suggested — this clip with much interactive elements.

Two Hellblade titles person released to date, featuring celtic warrier Senua successful battles against monsters and her ain intelligence health. Both person been wide praised for their visuals and story, though person besides caught flak for prioritizing cinematography implicit gameplay.

A new, 3rd Hellblade rubric successful improvement astatine Ninja Theory volition respond to that disapproval by focusing connected being much of a "game," according to Windows Central exertion Jez Corden, speaking connected the Xbox Two podcast. At the aforesaid time, Corden said that Ninja Theory was nary longer moving connected Project Mara, an "experimental title" announced by Microsoft backmost successful 2020.

"From what I understand, the adjacent crippled [from Ninja Theory] is Hellblade 3," Corden said. "And it's going to beryllium a spot much interactive than Hellblade 1 and 2.

"I don't cognize what the nonstop quality of Hellblade 3 is going to beryllium like," helium continued, "if it's adjacent going to beryllium Hellblade 3, but it does dependable similar it's going to beryllium successful the Hellblade universe, and it does dependable similar they privation to marque it much of a 'game', y'know, and broaden the entreaty to immoderate degree."

Project Mara was announced arsenic 1 of respective titles being worked connected astatine Ninja Theory backmost successful 2020, alongside Hellblade 2, Bleeding Edge, and a abstracted R&D task described arsenic "an ambitious operation of technology, crippled plan and objective neuroscience." The years since person revealed that the workplace has been moving with Microsoft's generative AI exemplary Muse arsenic portion of a task that's make clips of simulated gameplay.

"You guys shouldn't expect Project Mara to beryllium a thing," Corden claimed. "Project Mara was conscionable a concept, it's not a crippled — and it's not a crippled they're presently moving on. It mightiness beryllium thing they enactment connected eventually, but Project Mara is not a crippled that's presently being worked connected astatine Ninja Theory."

Corden has since doubled down via societal media connected his assertion that Project Mara was "only ever a concept" alternatively than a afloat crippled — truthful so "the crippled wasn't cancelled."

Back successful 2020, Ninja Theory described Project Mara arsenic "our caller in-development experimental rubric that explores caller ways of storytelling." To date, there's been nary further connection connected what became of the conception oregon wherefore it was seemingly been abandoned. Last year, it was publically confirmed that Team Ninja's colourful co-founder Tameem Antoniades had softly near the studio, thing that Microsoft lone acknowledged to Polygon aft his lack was noted connected a property visit.

IGN has contacted Microsoft for more.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social