Ninja Theory(Heavenly Sword) working on top secret game

Nick @ PS3Center:

Ninja Theory, the UK-based developer most commonly know for their work with PS3 exclusive Heavenly Sword, is working on another 'top secret project', according to the studio co-founder Tameem Antoniades.

[DeforMAKulizer]

Dare i hope and cross my fingers on it being Heavenly Sword 2? =D
I sure do wish all that i have it is!!! Make it happen Sony!

[gauntletpython]

I think I read an interview where, after doing a Sony exclusive(HS) and XBox exclusive(Kung Fu) they said it just made more financial sense for them to do multiplatform games :(

[DeforMAKulizer]

But they already have the scripts written for a trilogy! HS was one of the best cinematic experiences in gaming i had on the Next-Gen platforms!
Well here goes my finger crossing again! =D

[Kain81]

hope this is the secret game

[jwatt]

Well the word was that they were going multiplatform but I would like to see them go back to Heavenly Sword.

[Parapraxis]

PLEASE let it be Heavenly Sword 2, the first game was friggen epic.

[gaffyh]

I hope it's HS2, but I doubt it :(

[DeforMAKulizer]

They didnt deny returning to HS in the future.. One of the heads of the studio did say "Well one thing you learn in this industry is that you never say ‘Never’. So I’m not going to say we’ll “never” go back and make HS2 " And they did say it was big budget and big production... Im becoming to hopeful :P

[HighDefinition]

Hopefully now there game is not exclusive to the PS3, people will appreicate them.

If Heavenly Sword was on the 360 too, it would have been hailed as the best game ever.....(The GOW Killer, think Bayonetta)

Sad really, HS was one of the first great games of this generation.

[Cold 2000]

"If Heavenly Sword was on the 360 too, it would have been hailed as the best game ever.....(The GOW Killer, think Bayonetta)"

"65/100

PSM3 Magazine UK

For all its showboating, this is an average action game with few standout moments. [Nov 2007, p.74]"
http://www.metacritic.com/g...

Ever crossed your mind it wasnt as good as GOW or Bayonetta.

[Parapraxis]

@Cold 2000,
Ever crossed your mind you're just a jealous little fangirl?.

[erathaol]

I hope Ninja Theory does do Heavenly Sword 2 because they did such an amazing job with the first, its literally their baby now. I wouldn't want Sony Santa Monica to try and mess with the franchise Ninja Theory started but hey if Sony Santa Monica helps them create even better Cinematic scenes than more power to them.

[vhero]

Heavenly Sword the game that could have been.... The game came out at the wrong time and had too many flaws but had the potential to be one of the greatest games ever made..

[Reibooi]

I REALLY hope it's HS2 but at the same time if they insist on the game being Multi plat it will just make the series take a step backwards. The 360(at least not yet) hasn't come close to what HS did in terms of the facial animation and in some instances sheer size of combat(Ninja Gaiden 2 tried towards the end and had MASSIVE slow down).

Either way I am hoping at some point we see the HS trilogy finish.

[Harry_Manback]

But only if they kept it exclusive.

[HighDefinition]

For someone who doesn`t own a PS3 you got alot to say about it and games you`ve never played before. That`s the problem w/ ONLY owning a 360 right now there`s nothing to play for it (which is why you troll this site so much lately)

[morganfell]

They would have to. Sony owns the IP.

[Lifendz]

I hope Sony gives that IP to Sony Santa Monica. Imagine Heavenly Sword 2 on the God of War 3 engine.

[WhittO]

Sony must know how many people love heavenly sword, even if the critics sadly didnt.

With a number of improvements the second has ALOT of potential, plus HS1 is still one of the best experiences on my PS3 start to finish, A++

[sikbeta]

Heavenly Sword IP is Owned by Sony, Ninja Theory has nothing to do with the Game anymore, we'll probably see a sequel developed by a First or Second Party Dev but NO Ninja Theory...

[jut420]

The things that got me excited the most for the future of Heavenly Sword after playing the game was watching the 5 anime episodes you unlock. The back story of the Heavenly Sword is awesome!

[SKGamer]

Ok so the screenshot from the top is from Enslaved, so I thought these guys were just that out of the loop, that they were talking about some secret project when we already knew about Enslaved.

But read the link, guess not. Good to know that they weren't wrong. And that Ninja Theory is making more love.

[MNicholas]

After Heavenly Sword's relative failure in the marketplace (despite being a pretty good game), they've found it difficult to find investors to fund development of a new game.

It doesn't help that some of their top programmers, including their top guy who invented the completely new (and better) kind of HDR used in the game, have left for the company.

[NewYork214]

yes please on HS2.

[morganfell]

You may just be wrong. Sony may just go back to Ninja Theory. After Chains of Olympus ready at Dawn said they were through with the PS3. But after a meeting with Sony they took possession of new PSP dev kits and yes I can tell you they are working on a new GOW title for the PSP.

NT is no different as they has had several recent meetings with Sony. I wouldn't count them out just yet.

[morganfell]

Okay, too many beers before that last post. Ready at Dawn said they were through with the PSP. My typo. They dropped fairly strong hints at GDC they would be doing another GOW title on the PSP.

[Darrius Cole]

Heavenly Sword sold about 1.4 million according to VGChartz. Granted it VGChartz but it should be close enough. I don't know how much they expected it to sell.

Ninja Theory should face the facts...the only reason anybody cares who they are is because they made Heavenly Sword. The only reason their new game got any pub is because they are the developers who made Heavenly Sword. They should stick to being exclusive developers.

Heavenly Sword 2 would guaranteed to sell 2 million copies if they make it. Enslaved would be lucky to sell half that much.

[MechWarrior579]

i hate to burst everyones bubble but it is not HS 2 it is a multiplatform game called Enslaved.

[97gsx]

This says its not enslaved
http://www.psxextreme.com/p...

[Bordel_1900]

If it's not a PS3 exclusive I'm not interested.

I loved HS, so I can only hope for HS2.

[Rhezin]

but it uses UEIII. mewh.

[DigitalAnalog]

A new graphical and technical marvel to behold.

Only on

PS3.

-End statement

[x800]

plez.

[hamoor]

heavenly sword is very VERY underrated game imo
hope it will be HS2

[Jihaad_cpt]

well Sony own the Heavenly Sword IP to just imagine Santa Monica Studio doing Heavenly Sword 2!

[aftrdark21]

Santa Monica Studios doing a HS/GOW crossover with Krato and Nariko in co-op! Using the GOW III engine!!!! Would be a day one purchase for me!

[NeoBasch]

Um... whatever happened to that multiplatform game they announced over a year ago. Did they cancel it? Not for sure how I feel about that. I'd hate to see anyone's creative vision sacked for the sake of money, but I can't help but feel excited for a potential announcement of Heavenly Sword 2. Hopefully, they clear everything up soon. Someone needs to do an interview with these guys. Who knows what they're doing now.

EDIT: Wikipedia mentions Enslaved as their next game. Comes out this year for both PS3 and 360. Almost seems like Vaporware with the lack of details, but apparently they are working on it along with this super secret project. I'd like to know more about both. Too much secrecy with this studio if you ask me.

[vhero]

http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/a... IGN posted some info on it a couple of days ago with some screens.

[NeoBasch]

Very nice. Looking forward to it. Thanks for the info. ;)

[Omar91]

i always wanted to play heavenly sword when it came out. still would love to pick it up, but nothing is motivating me, if it had trophies on the other hand..

[aftrdark21]

You won't regret it. It's an amazing game. Great story and visuals. I think it's on sale at Gamestop this week too.

[DaReapa]

You can head down to your local Wal-Mart and get this game for just 20 bucks. It would still be worth it at more than that price. Trust me...don't let lack of trophies keep you from missing out on this game.

[DaReapa]

It would be nice if this was HS2. Heavenly Sword was a criminally underrated game during it's time, and boasts a story that IMO, has been unrivaled this generation.

[theEnemy]

devs.

had fun playing HS and watching their behind the scenes vids. :D

[GrandDragon]

Umm I don't know what you're talking about because a few hours ago I just got my first look at Enslaved and a it has a colorful look to the game.

Others have said Enslaved gives them vibes of many other games because of the weird character design.

I myself don't find the game weird but some do.

[jaixvx]

Yeah, the game is called Enslaved. No HS2 for us. :(

[Parapraxis]

This is about another game, Enslaved is far from "secret".

[Apolloeye]

IGN have full details on this game and some nice screen shots: http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/a...

[Omar91]

what a disappointment. i dont see any interest in this game... but like IGN said its still early in development.

plus i hate the old " its *place year here* into the future and man kind is being destroyed" its so unoriginal imo.

[Hayabusa 117]

I'm surprised they've only just started pre-production. What has Ninja Theory been doing all this time? At least they still here tho, I was starting to wonder of they'd gone bust or something. Let's hope they don't kill their next game with overhype, although, it already seems to late for that...

[Nariko14]

Enslaved looks like its going to be alright. Hopefully it is Heavenly Sword 2. I don't think a Sony first party dev. should make it, it's Ninja Theory's game. Hopefully we get more info. about that soon.

[Ether]

I prefer God of War, but HS was really enjoyable.

Just give it a friggin block button next time.

[Hotel_Moscow]

you can block

[Chubear]

Uh? They did have a block;just don't touch any button and it blocks all attacks automatically... how much easier did you want them to implement a block?

[Hotel_Moscow]

no

l1 blocks blue attacks

normal blocks some attacks

r1blocks red attacks

[Anarki]

HS 2 PLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASEEE

[Chicago8506]

Brings back good memories.
Back when I bought my launched $599 60gig model, that was the only game that kept me going on PS3.

PS3's launch was horrible, but HS kept me faithful.
I agree with most gamers on here, m hoping it's HS2.

However; with no fanboyism intended...I would not b thrilled if it went multiplatform.
Reason being is that it's a "fact" that "no multiplatform game" has even come close to a Heavy Hitting PS3 Exclusive.

Let's face it..when a developer works on PS3 "EXCLUSIVELY," u get Bar-Setting Titles...juss how I like it.

Nothing against other consoles of course, but I feel that if they were on that level, they would've shown it already.

Anyway...Game on!

[DaReapa]

Heavenly Sword is a Sony IP, so if this is indeed HS2, it won't be multiplat.

[Chicago8506]

m glad u clarified that 4 me.

It's an awesome game man...I still have it..and for years I've been wondering when will they announce something about tha follow-up.

Then I heard "rumors" that they were abandoning the IP because of lack of sales.
M so hoping ta hear an announcement at E3 or before about a sequel to Heavenly Sword.

1 thing I can say about this game...it definately wet my GOW Whistle back when we knew ov no details of GOW making tha Next Gen jump.

An announcemet of Heavenly Sword 2 would b Awesome! Thanks again 4 that info.

Game on!

[nefertis]

If Ninja Theory dont make HS 2, Sony should let Naughty Dog make HS 2 with UC2 engine. Playb3yond

[OhMyGandhi]

Although Heavenly Sword wasn't an amazing game by any means. I still had alot of fun playing it.
Beautiful graphics, and c'mon, who can pass a game with Andy Serkis as the bad guy?

Hoping that Heavenly Sword 2 to be "the secret" game, because they have a pretty solid overall game, just a few tweaks here and there.

[DJ]

Heavenly Sword came out in August 2007 and it's already March 2010. They better release something this year.

[LarVanian]

Team ICO haven't released anything since 2005 lol. Quality can sometimes take time. Ninja theory won my respect with Heavenly Sword, I'm sure Enslaved will be great multiplatform or exclusive.

[Godmars290]

If this game is multiplatform and 360 fanboys get overly excited that a once PS3-exclusive dev is making it, will it prove once and for all that they're the worse fanboy group?

[Halo3 MLG Pro]

Huh? They made an exclusive game for the original Xbox dude.

Nice fail there dude.

[Xi]

what do you think that picture is of?

[Godmars290]

No, its about the hypocrisy of the fanboy. About how a game is crap or its developer sucks up until they make a title on their console.

Its just been my experience that 360 fanboys do that sort of thing more than others.

And how is it a fail when they've yet to make a 360 game? More so when most of the people who've complained about HR haven't played it.

[Halo3 MLG Pro]

I'll take a Kung Fu Chaos 2. The first one was fun. Heavenly Sword was just an average hack & slash. The control scheme and gameplay was truly lacking.

[amakusasfire]

Well, I could write a few pages on why I think Ninja Theory needs to make this sequel happen and where I think they could go with the storyline. Heavenly Sword was the sixth or seventh game I bought when I first got my PS3 and honestly still to this day it has been one of my favorite games ever. I'm not talking just this generation, for me there was really only 3 flaws keeping it from being a perfect title. 1) The game wasn't long enough, I loved the vistas in the game and character designs and the boss battles were actually challenging.
2) The implementation of using motion controls needed a little more fine tuning.
3) Lastly, the ending I was severely disappointed to see Nariko die after her quest to save her people and defeat the wicked Bohan.

In the sequel I wished we could see Nariko again because I think she is one of the most beautiful female characters ever created along with the fact she was strong and defiant. But, I would like to see this sequel take place maybe 5 years into the future where Kai has matured and is now the rightful owner of the Heavenly Sword and the combat system could be like the first but tweaked a little bit to make it perfect.

Or we could possibly see a prequel where we see Nariko's journey leading up to the first game and how she came to be the protector of her people and the bearer of the Heavenly Sword.

Either way it doesn't matter I want Heavenly Sword 2 more than any game. Personally, I'd give up my Ultimate Edition God of War 3 for this sequel. To think that Sony put up 20 million into the sequel before deciding to cancel it because the game didn't have the sales they anticipated. I think that if Heavenly Sword would have came out last year or this year it would have been a completely different story it would have sold very well. PS3 didn't sell well when it came out because of the price and trust me I hated spending over 500 on it but I love it and don't regret the purchase one damn bit!!

[Darrius Cole]

I agree with everything you said about Heavenly Sword except for the what you think the biggest flaws are/were.

1) The game wasn't long enough. I agree with you on that, although almost every game this generation is too short. Back when Heavenly Sword was released it got knocked for being too short. If it released today, no one would complain about its length.

2) The combat system needed a little more polish.

[DaReapa]

I agree on the idea of a prequel. For the sake of keeping all the original characters in the game without having to "resurrect" anyone, I was thinking they could do a game based on the bonus animation shorts that accompanied the original game.

[crazy25000]

I hope they make a sequel.

[Xi]

I really enjoyed kung fu chaos.

[SSCOOLCHEA]

bring on heavenly sword 2 . another exclusive the evil bots wont get a chance at .

[ATi_Elite]

I hope so. Heavenly Sword to be a first gen game on the PS3 was still a great game.

Just look how long some developers waited to release there first game on the PS3. I think Ninja Theory did a good job and if they were to opt for PS3 exclusiveness then I'm sure Naughty Dog Guerrilla Games Santa Monica studios would give them tips on maximizing The Cell.

Heavenly Sword 2 2011 or 2012? I'm sure Sony will make it happen as they love their gamers.

[jay2]

IF, and thats s BIG IF it's HS2, and it's multi-plat it's runined with lack of space disc YET AGAIN!

[Xi]

1. sony owns the Heavenly sword IP.
2. disc space does not have any impact on the quality of a game.

[AKS]

As previously stated over and over in this thread, Sony owns the Heavenly Sword IP; it CAN'T go multiplatform.

Anyway, I'm eager to see more from NT because I love their awesome character design (Kai, Flying Fox, Nariko, Bohan...all awesome). They weren't quite ready to realize all their ambitions with Heavenly Sword in terms of technical expertise, especially so early in the PS3's lifecycle, but I'm sure they've progressed since then. I like what I just read about Enslaved, and it's great to know they have other ideas for down the road.

It's great to see such admiration of Heavenly Sword here. I couldn't understand why I seemed to be the only person who loved it when it was released. It seems more obvious now that a sizable portion of Heavenly Sword's "critics" never actually played it. They just saw some mouthbreathing twit reviewers regurgitate "It's too short; it's a 7-hour game!" and seemed to feel from that they had enough knowledge to evaluate it independent of any actual first hand experience. There was actually quite a bit to like about it, especially the quirky Kai and the requirement for actual skill to counter the color-coded attacks. The better you were at countering, the more beautiful the game became with the close-up counter animations, which was awesome.

[clarkdef]

I hated the fact you couldn't upgrade weapons in HS, and it was just plain. Don't make another one just get outta here.

[saimcheeda]

?

[zaz12]

http://www.vgchartz.com/gam...

[jack_burt0n]

sony should give the heavenly sword IP to a nice startup dev that needs some big publisher support and see what they can do with it.

[jaie81]

Hs will never go to the 360 sorry guys but Sony owns the rights to the script.

[jalen247]

Ninja Theory needs to go back and make Heavenly Sword 2 with all the tricks learned in developing PS3 games over the past 3 years since Heavenly Sword was released.

Heavenly Sword was my first PS3 game. The presentation in Heavenly Sword can sit at the same table with the likes of Uncharted 2, GOW III, and Metal Gear Solid 4. The game also had some of the best six-axis motion implementation in a game to date.

We are not going to see another GOW game for a while so we need an exclusive action hack & slash to satiate our appetite till we get the next GOW game.

[memphis2]

if ya'll did not know already this...NINJA THEORY IS WORKING ON "ENSLAVED" i can not wait til i read more on this game!

[Darkfiber]

I doubt they'll make a sequel to Heavenly Sword, the first one sold terribly and I don't think it needs a sequel, or warrants one for that matter. It had a lot of cool ideas but mostly in terms of narrative, presentation and production values. Those can be easily carried over into a game with better combat and game mechanics that will hopefully be more than 5 hours long.

[360fanboi]

but but but we have GAYLO

[Figboy]

i have a feeling that it won't be starring Nariko, which is a shame, because, next to Nathan Drake, she is probably the second best new character introduced this generation in gaming. and i mean CHARACTER, not generic, cliche, stereotype (like the protagonists of about 99.9% of games released these days).

she was performed excellently by Anna Torv, who made her strong, yet feminine at the same time. in fact, the entire cast of Heavenly Sword was excellent.

that game is truly under-appreciated.

after playing it, i had such high hopes for a sequel, and then the gaming media, who were high on their hatred of EVERYTHING Sony and PS3 in 2007, tore the game to shreds with nitpicks they let slide in other games in the same genre, and GROSSLY exaggerated the length of the game (it was NOT 5 hours long. first time playthrough took roughly 9 hours, not too shabby for a action game with no forced "exploration" elements and puzzles to solve).

for an industry that claims it wants "change," they certainly sh*t on any game that comes around that doesn't conform to some earlier gaming paradigm (Killzone 2 doesn't control like CoD4, Heavenly Sword doesn't have puzzles and exploration like God of War, DMC, or NG, Uncharted isn't like Tomb Raider, etc, etc).

it gets boring, and it's mostly directed towards PS3 exclusives. flawed but really great games like Gears, Fable, and Mass Effect get their flaws overlooked with no problems. the same courtesy isn't given to PS3 titles like Folklore, Heavenly Sword, Ratchet, etc.

there are few exceptions, like Uncharted 2, Demon's Souls, and currently, God of War 3, but people ALWAYS find some reason to say, "well, >insert really awesome PS3 exclusive< isn't really all that because >insert ridiculous nitpick here<" it's tiresome.

it's even more frustrating that Ninja Theory was dragged through the mud in 2007, when working on a PS3 exclusive, but their new game, Enslaved, which is looking just as good as HS (even starring a laughably similar to Nariko female protagonist), is getting TONS of praise, because it's MULTI-PLATFORM. am i the only one that sees the disgusting, pathetic, hypocritical nature of the gaming press?

after Heavenly Sword, i'm looking forward to whatever Ninja Theory comes up with next. their first game wasn't so hot, but they showed true promise with Heavenly Sword, and Enslaved is looking rather good as well. if this new project is HS2, great, if not, i'm sure it will be quality, just like the criminally underrated Heavenly Sword was.

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

They're working on a multi-plat game for the PS3 and 360.

Did you guys NOT read that article in Game Informer a few months back?

[iceman2885]

...but I'd rather it not be Heavenly Sword 2. I thought Heavenly Sword was great as it is, and it doesn't need a sequel. Too many games these days enjoy good success and then proceed to run them into the ground with a million sequels.

I'd like to see them do another original IP that is just as awesome as Heavenly Sword was.

[Xof]

I forget what it was called, but it was based on the Chinese epic, Journey to the West. It sounded incredible. Or is that some one else? I think it was called "enslaved" or something.

[Dance]

Multiplatform written all over it

[Lipscomba]

I hope is it HS2, but if it is, it will probably be multiplatform.