Commemorating its triumphs, mourning its missteps.
Ninja Theory might have games in the pipeline, but that doesn't mean Xbox won't close it for no reason
Alot of speculation on their part. Ninja Theory has two games that have been green lighted and are in the works. Yes it’s always a possibility they could be closed but no matter how you feel about the Senua games. They do make a quality game. I personally think MS is going lay low for a bit, after the firestorm they experienced last week.
I really hope one of them is a long awaited sequel of heavenly sword or enslaved. Both are good games that deserve a 2nd chance... or at least a reboot.
"Sony Computer Entertainment retains the intellectual property of Heavenly Sword", so that's not happening. Sony should let Santa Monica Studios make a Heavenly Sword sequel.
Santa Monica is a great studio, but I would rather the minds behind the original make it (ninja theory). I never liked sequels that were done by someone else, they are usually never as good as the original.
Enslaved would be awesome. If they did a remaster, then the next game in the series…..one can hope.
Hopefully they'd get Evan Wells back for a sequel to Enslaved. After the original Enslaved he went on to Naughty Dog and did The Last of Us.
darth
HS IP is owned by sony and enslaved sold so poorly that you want a sequel now? let's say a sequel is made and sells like the first than this studio is for sure shut down. Their next game needs to be a big hit(if there is a next game)
rlow1
that's not how business works, if a studio needs to go it will go whether ot not that will come with negative PR. They just spent 100 billion and now they are in the phase to find out which studios will survive and which needs to go to cut costs. NT let a huge opportunity slip away, they had the backing of MS and the sequel has even less gameplay, that makes zero sense
Heavenly Sword IP is owned by Sony and Enslaved IP is owned by Namco Bandai
Hellblade was the only IP that Ninja Theory themselves owned when MS acquired them
NT completely lost it since dmc, their
last good game to date! And has been a long time since.
An average studio at best, got lured by MS money and forgot to improve
They make quality games, but they're usually hit or miss. Either they are average, or they are awesome. However, besides heavenly sword and DMC, they aren't big sellers either. Ms is as big of a corporation as it gets. If ninja theory isn't making them money, they will shut them down. Simple as that.
Studio survival no matter who is reliant on MS's quarterly reports, if MS is looking to save money then studios like Ninja Theory are gone as we've seen with Tango and others. MS has their IP's, the devs mean nothing to them but a handy tool to balance the books with layoffs.
Eh, maybe. Microsoft seems like a phenomenally wealthy company that's (generally) wise with how they handle their finances. What they're not wise with is how they spend social capital. As soon as they get it, they spend it by doing something nefarious. Can't say they're the only ones of course.
Will they get rid of Ninja Theory? No earthly idea. Honestly, I have a hard time even speculating about it because we don't have any details on performance metrics. If I had to guess... And really, this is is a guess... It's just about engagement. It's the only thing that makes sense to me. If you've got a popular mobile game or MTX-heavy multiplayer game, you're safe. King and Activision aren't going anywhere. Even if player count tapers off, MTX keep them in the game as a form of engagement.
But then you've got single player games. I suspect that's a losing battle because single player games, unfortunately don't get long term engagement broadly. So games launching half baked is perhaps a strategy for the studios themselves to get people coming back to their games? It would make some sense, but it doesn't match with studios being surprised at the closures.
All of this to say, we'll just have to wait and see. The simplest explanation with the most streamlined thinking on the matter is just that they're getting rid of studios they see as dead weight in the long run. HFR was quite well received, but I guess it doesn't translate into happy investors because it's critical acclaim and not commercial success exactly. Bethesda isn't going anywhere. Making very long RPGs kind of saves you automatically in terms of engagement.
But on the other side of this, while studios don't close per se, nothing stops them or any other company from just cutting the work force within each studio.
It's not for no reason.
The reason is they made two games that were underwhelming (Bleeding Edge) and didn't/aren't going to grow the user base for game pass.
They spent 5-7 years and this was what they produced, it's easy to see how they would be on the short list for termination at this point.
One thing to point out was that all the recently closed studios were under Bethesda. Before being purchased by MS, Bethesda had a slew of poor or under performing titles (Evil Within 2, Prey (2017), Wolfenstein: The New Colossus, Young Blood, and initially Fallout 76 ). I don’t think, Ghost Wire Tokyo, Deathloop, Redfall and sadly even High-Fi: Rush performed well after the buyout.
I bet this game with a 5-7 year dev cycle being launched directly onto game pass is going to generate less tangible cash profit than any of those games.
I'm sure Microsoft will brag about players or sword swings or some other pointless statistic, but those don't make cash money.
You do realize it took 3 platforms and like 2 years to sell 1 million for Hellblade 1 right? Added in 3 more platforms and it didn't move much.
Now cut our 4 platforms. How many copies do you think this will sell?! Not just played on Gamepass
Apparently Ninja Theory is safe From being closed down https://www.gamespot.com/ar...
Already working on a new game. They are a 80 person team and relatively inexpensive I suppose to any other publisher
Buuuuut.
Yeaah sorry this is MS, I don't believe anything MS says. They have to be joking if they think anyone will believe them besides gullible Xbox fanboys. Once again MS needs to earn my trust back. Just when they earn some trust back, they always seem to destroy it and have to work to get it back. I still think they're getting shut down and canceling whatever game they're making because the game won't sell, again MS fault for not advertising it.. This company man...
The problem with this game probably not selling will be because of Gamepass. Every comment i see from xbox players are "dude, no need to buy this amazing game, just get it on gamepass"
Will it sell well based on word of mouth? Will they release it on ps5? Will ps players buy this game vs free on gamepass? Time will tell.
Well i dont know about hi fi rush..as i didnt buy it. I mean others are getting it on gamepass..so ill just wait it for psplus. Im guessing others are doing the same..soo..
Sure Sony has done it too..and people are vocal about it. Look at the helldivers fiasco for example..they got called out.
I don't see Microsoft shutting off the lights to Ninja Theory. As a studio they actually have talent and have released some decent games. I love Enslaved maybe a sleeper hit but it's one of my favorites. Only way I see Microsoft shutting off the lights is if Ninja Theory releases games that sink faster then a lead weight. And there are fans of Ninja Theory one thing I would hate to see is Ninja Theory ending up like Bioware. Loosing all their talent and being a former shell of what they use to be.
Never say never. Tango Gameswork were just as talented as Ninja Theory & they were shut down.
I honestly blame starfeild and Microsoft for the closure of arkane and tango it didn't turn a profit like other huge Bethesda games. If it .are fallout 4 money Bethesda would have had the capital to share among the other studios. Microsoft should of also had the ability to step in and save the studio but decided to kill them instead likely because of Bethesda's financial failure with starfield and Microsoft's stupid goal of turning gaming into a subscription that everyone and their grandmas subscribe to
To be honest for Microsoft (not Microsoft gaming) it's all about making for the 70 billion purchase of AKB. No matter how good the games are. If they don't generate sales or new gamepass subs the studios can be shutted down.
Yes, they make decent games, but do they sell? Unfortunately, no. Heavenly sword sold 1.5 million, even when the ps3 had a much lower install base than the 360. However, it's not a ninja theory ip. Enslaved sold poorly. DMC, sold well, but that's also not a ninja theory ip. Hellblade was a hit, but in my opinion, barely. Hellblade 2, unfortunately, might be a flop. There's no bigger corporation than Ms, they are as corporate as they come. If ninja theory isn't making them money, they will get shut down and their ips giving to another studio.
It was just announced that MS gave NT the greenlight for its next game. I just hope it's not another Hellblade. https://www.yahoo.com/tech/...
I just finished Hellblade in under 6 in a half hours. I was surprised how short the game was for the askingprice. I thought the first game was better and be prepared for a lot of walking
I suspect they are safe in the sense that Microsoft won't want anymore backlash so they will probably RARE'ify them as an asset to avoid headlines. Meaning it will be a slow death over a decade until the only thing that remains is the name.
Lol, so so silly.
This has got to stop. You can literally put any studio's name in this situation, in the current gaming climate.
Another take on We are sure a company is evil so let's hope it will act like a Saturday morning cartoon villain instead of a company with shareholders.
Here is some simple financial logic (that has already been applied to Sony)
Microsoft won't shut down Ninja Theory simply because they recently made the purchase of that specific studio.
shutting down the studio would mean to Share Holders that:
- They have lost most of the assets they bought (aside from a couple of IPS).
- Xbox is losing faith or is abandoning why they acquired Ninja Theory in the 1st place.
- Xbox can't properly manage the money of shareholders since they would close something they recently purchased.
In the case of Arkane Studio and Tango Framework they were part of Bethesda and bundled in the acquisition.
As I said this can be validated by Sony who recently closed the PlayStation longtime London Studio while making massive cuts to Firesprite (some former members of London Studio).
People should remember that Firesprite was recently acquired so for the same reason, it would have been stupid company-wise to terminate a recent acquisition.
Still no excuse that Tango made an award winning very amazing products yet shuts them down no diff with Ninja Theory
I agree with you and why lots of Xbox users are angry with this move and why Phil Spencer doesn't dare face the music.
But if the decision came from higher-ups at MS then it can easily be explained to shareholders that Tango and Arkane studios were already non profitable under Bethesda has both studios have yet to create profit.
A financial explanation that Microsoft already had similar studios before the Bethesda acquisition (Ninja Theory to Tango and several big studios).
Like I said I don't agree but in financial terms, Closing Tango which is a small part of the acquisition is not the same as closing a complete acquisition like Ninja Theory.
@pete
I definitely do but under Microsoft no one is safe just keep that in mind.
i can't imagine how terryfing must be working for MS right now, you were supposedly safe by working under the protection of a multi billion company, but not anymore, so any studio is at risk, even those with very successful releases like Hifi Rush.
All these negative opinion pieces rising to the top of N4G... The Sony defense force haaaates Microsoft so much.
They took the cheese. Bad on them. They risk their entire studio, their assets and their employees. The gamble comes to bite you and it bites hard. Should have stayed in safe harbor, but you know.... $$$ brings out the greedy and dumb in people. Ninja Theory should have known far better then to get in that bed.
Well yeah I'm sure tango and arkane had something in the pipeline to.
Having a project greenlit doesn't mean safety projects are frequently approved prior to the completion of another game most games are worked on in pre prod prior to the main projects completion.
Ninja theory's saving grace is their size the running cost of the studio is very low compared to other studios.
I'm hopeful they are not shut down because even if I didn't like hb2 from a story and thematic point of view the game was beautiful the animations were nice and overall it could have made for a great game if it was something else the bones of hb2 are perfect the game itself not so much at least not for me.
Ninja Theory's latest trailer for their highly anticipated narrative action-adventure Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 is absolute cinema.
Like I said before, buying Ninja Theory was one of the smartest moves by Microsoft. Games looks incredible.
Unfortunately, their games aren't big sellers. Will MS shut them down if hellblade 2 sells below expectations?
The game may be a critical hit & still can get shut down. I highly doubt most XB owners will buy this game including the fact that it's digital only at $50. Most folks that have Gamepass will play the game through the sub service. If the reviews tomorrow are just average to low then that's another problem.
"Like I said before, buying Ninja Theory was one of the smartest moves by Microsoft. Games looks incredible."
Indeed.
Just a few hours to go
I can´t wait!
badass. already installed via gamepass. if its as great as the first one I will pay for the whole game.
if you choose left, turn to page 39, if you proceed forward, turn to page 43, to turn right, page 209, you finished the book early,
no but seriously this looks like Microsofts first hit, or should I say, first game of standout quality.
If it's anything like the first game, you will spend a lot of timing walking and solving puzzles, with some fights thrown in.
LOL! Didn't send any shivers down my spine but I'll demo it after midnight tonight through Gamepass to see what it's giving.
After the midnight? I see...
Day one as expected for another game that you said you had zero interest.
Finally making a re-appearance. When the heat was on about XB closing studios you were crickets on all articles. Now that the heat has died down all of a sudden you're here on an XB exclusive article or should I say a timed exclusive...lol!! If you must know I can demo this game at midnight because the University I work at is closed for the summer so I can play video games until my heart's content until the end of August when I go back to work. That's what Gamepass is for, knowing I would not spend $50 on Hellblade 2 because the first one I thought was boring so I'm going to see if this one is still boring or is it interesting by demoing the game.
Why not I have a year subscription to Gamepass, I don't have to spend $50 on a digital only game that I may not like including I'm on a lengthy vacation from work.
It looks amazing, I’m hoping the reviews are solid. You can tell the studio really poured their heart and soul into this one.
Wow, I enjoyed the living shit outta the first one, this one looks to take everything to the next level, Truly next gen presentation.
What really sends shivers down my spine is the lack of proper marketing for this game.
One of the super rare cases where we agree. As a fan opf the band Heilung that is a part of the soundtrack I am wondering why there is like zero marketing for that as well. Even the Band itself did not post anything about the game since one short facebook post like 2 or 3 years ago.
MS choosing their own demise and wonder why they can't do nothin right? You don't say...
Well it’s installed on my PC. Might not be able to put it through its proper paces until Friday as I’m off weekends. Honestly hoping for the best, but expecting mediocre. The first game really didn’t grab me and it was a struggle to finish. I love to be surprise though. Maybe I can give the game an hour tomorrow 😋
Superb graphics! But overall, the trailer is lacking and underwhelming. I don't know what I feel. I have a bad feeling, but let's wait and see for some reviews.
Following the closure of 4 studios, many are now worried for the future of Ninja Theory once Hellblade 2 is released.
How is it going to sell well when it's also releasing on gamepass 🤔
Meant better to sell the studio and not closing it 🤦🏻 not to sell more games….
and games are sold anyways, you can buy it on xbox (not recommended if you got gamepass) but many pc gamers prefer to buy on steam than deal with the xbox app or pc gamepass!
On a side note to OP, the sales of studios wont happen though, especially when they want to retain the IPs, and well nobody is gonna buy a studios without its IPs; the other publishers that want a certain dev from the studio that are closing on their team can try to grab them as soon as they see they notice of the studio.
@Sephiroushin
Well hypothetically speaking, Ninja Theory can be sold to Sony at a lower rate sans the Hellblade IP.
Sony can then welcome them to work on the Heavenly Sword IP, which they still own.
Will be a nice proposition for Sony who can continue to offer a God of War-like hack n slash in their portfolio via Heavenly Sword 2, whilst Cory Barlog & co. decides to take a break from the God of War IP & venture some other genres.
On top of that, Ninja Theory was also interested in a sequel to Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and such Sony can come to a deal with Namco Bandai regarding the Enslaved IP.
selling the studio wouldn't be an attractive offer unless they come with their IPs. MS wants to keep these IPs, so even if MS is selling just the studio, no one would wants them
Because they're next come next year. HB2 won't hit some impossible metric within MS so they're getting axed in 2025. Leave gaming now MS.
Every xbox studio is in danger now because there’s just no way they’re gonna rake in big money from game sales because of gamepass, even CoD was rumored to not come to gamepass because it would canibalize their sales number.
If they are smart they don’t put COD on GP day one. It’s one of the best selling games on yearly basis
Satya will make sure that doesnt happen. As you rightly put it; why kill the cash cow?
But then again, it is MS after all.....
I agree and disagree. They should not put it on GP, but CoD makes real money from the overpriced MTX that people buy for over a year. They also have it all linked up to the Mobile CoD, which will incentivize Twitch spending from consumers.
Software
That’s true but keep in mind COD is the best selling or top 3 selling game every year. So yes micro transactions money is there but so are billions more
They should have tiers of GP subscriptions and the higher end tier received AAA games while everyone else gets them in 60 days
Wouldn't putting it on Gamepass be smarter? Cod is typically played, I believe, for far longer than 6 months.. if you get everyone playing the game for a year, on Gamepass, you've essentially doubled your profit. $10 a month for a year $120 compared to selling the game once for $60.
Not to mention MT's, on top of it. Sell on PS5, PC and Switch, keep it on Gamepass for Xbox and PC. Much smarter in my opinion..
Also if you punish a studio for releasing a great critically acclaimed game which won some awards then what chance does anyone have
After this mess, I highly doubt the next installment of COD will be on Gamepass day one. It'll probably land on Gamepass 6 months after release date.
Like I said earlier, I wouldn't even mind. There's a good selection of games on GP already, and it gives me time to play my backlog of games while allowing the games that need to sell millions of copies to make a profit a chance to succeed, a win win scenario.
not putting CoD on GP is sort of a violation of their own marketing though. they said ALL MS 1st party games will be on GP day 1, not some. CoD is 1st party, so to not put it on GP day 1 would be considered as false marketing.
Ninja theory games were never big sellers. I could be wrong, but I doubt hellblade 2 will sell millions. I would rather they go independent and make heavenly sword 2.
heavenly sword is Sony owned IP. this will never happen as original didn't sell enough...
Wikipedia: "In 2008, it was reported that a sequel to Heavenly Sword was in-development at SCE Studio Cambridge, but was canceled due to Sony no longer seeing it as a commercially viable product"
I remember. I feel like the amount of time & technology that has passed would make a sequel a big seller now. The game has enough legacy recognition to build hype.
Hi-Fi Rush scenario: released on Gamepass - no sales, release on PS5 - handful of sales, than an email from dr. Phil:
- we so proud of your creative and immersive world and you will always be in our hearts...
but you know where the door is.
xbox has closed more studios this year, than they have released games. let that sink in
I mean, it doesn't matter how good it is, if it's on Gamepass then it won't sell.
If I were working for Ninja Theory or any MS studio i think I'd be looking for another job. I wouldn't think anyone would be safe.
I just don't know how tango and arkane got shut down when Microsoft let toys for Bob leave the stable.
There would have been room for people to work on cod surely.
Alongside that 343 hasn't done anything worthwhile since well ever they hemorrhaged money developing the slipstream engine which was so bad it's not even being used for the next halo game and they butchered the one good franchise Microsoft had yet they get a pass
Toys for Bob left MS and ABK with nothing but its people. sort of like a resignation from MS and ABK if you like but it's not like they bought themselves out like Bungie either.
It makes sense but tfb staff must of been performing some sort of work for Activision that gap surely needs to be filled.
Unless tfb was on the chopping block aswell
@Profchaos
but it was not like TfB got off scott free though. before they decided to leave by signing an agreement with MS and ABK, based on the report:
"It's not all sunshine and rainbows. 86 employees were let go earlier this year as part of broader cuts at Xbox, and its physical studio in Novato, California has shut down. It's possible Toys for Bob's move to independent development was part of a broader move to save the studio long-term, and didn't come without a heavy cost."
their studio was being torn apart by MS, so they decided to leave to save their people. let's hope they get back and running soon with their new game.
We are witnessing the death of xbox lets gooo
I hope the people affected land on their feet asap tho
Hardly any games and a whole lotta closing down studios. I didn't realize Microsawft was spelled Embracer Group. Weird...
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice after selling 500,000 copies turned a profit only 3 months after it's launch. Hellblade sold over 1 million copies by June 2018.
Gamepass won't help a game like this as it's single player that takes about 8 hours to finish. Cheaper just to get a month of gamepass finish it and play other games aswell.
I get why they did it but NT should have never allowed themselves to be bought by Microsoft. If MS shuts them down it's a complete disaster for xbox. If it happens hopefully the very talented people at NT land on their feet somewhere new, quickly.
I really hope the Xbox fans that are interested in this actually buy it and not rent it. Or if you are on the fence try it for a hour on gamepass if you enjoy it buy it. If you don't fair enough uninstall.
I don't expect anyone who has no interest in supporting this. I'm not as I couldn't get into the original.
The is short so it is a double negative for Microsoft. Less likely people will double dip on it.
Revolver digital just came out saying they much rather sell games to gamers rather than have them on subscription services like gamepass and ps+.
This game will very likely not sell. The original was relatively well received but bot a huge seller.
This is a sequel, given for free on Game pass and not available on other platforms.
It's not a game that is big enough to drive subscriptions, and very few people will actually pay for the game.
This "business" model is a mess and Microsoft is to blame 🤷♂️ the game would have done well as a $50 multiplatform release.
Ninja Theory should've known better.
If Microsoft were smart they would let the games sell for 3 months at regular price for a chance at making money, then put the games on game pass after that, like what Hollywood used to do. Even tho Microsoft is a trillion dollar company that can afford to support these companies even if they don't make a billion in it's first year, they have to listen to people that tell them to stop the support if it's not a major success.
Agreed,
Bet you in 6 months or 12 months they will release it on ps5. But it won't sell all that good compared to if they released it same time as Xbox.
It's inevitable. Watch this space. There's no way Ninja Theory is part of MS' future plans. Their games have a niche audience.
We'll see Ninja Theory go independent in future.
Toys for Bob are so lucky they got to leave and be Indie. Microsoft probably would have closed them too.
“Shut it down.”
What was the point of these mergers to take the ips and destroy them?
Walking sims aren't known to pull in a ton of money. They are next. Good thing the bosses of Ninja Theory cashed in.
I've stated this in a couple of articles that XB fans should support Hellblade 2 by buying the game first & foremost instead of renting the game. Solely sales matter. If the game doesn't sell well MS may shut Ninja Theory down as well.
Before that happens more than likely Hellblade 2 will release on the PS5 to see how well it sells.
Anyone working on any studio on the hands of MS are shaking like crazy and we all know why... They can "make a great game" and still lose his/her job because stupid suit guys that thinks they now better the market than people who make games. It's so sad and this year beat up last year in losing jobs and it's just May...
Mark my words. This will sell terribly, get middling review scores, Xbox will say it didn't meet expectations, and they will shut down Ninja Theory. Not a matter of if, but a matter of when.
Microsoft, Sarah and phil are going to toss them in the trash after hellblade 2 releases, you best believe!!
First, they sell it separately, and then, after 6 months, they should put it in GamePass. No matter how good your game is, not many people will buy it if it is released at the same time on GamePass.
I think we all know where this is heading. This game has had a very long development time and bloated budget. It's not the type of game to sell gangbusters. They will close.
love this game. would love a sequel
Story, characters and setting are really what this game had going for it. I mean, I loved it, but it definitely had problems in the gameplay department.
Truly a great game that just didn't sell as much it should have.
game was trash one of the worst games i've played this gen by far.
One the best games of 2010 in my opinion, I dominated that game and got all the achievements. I loved it.