Ninja Theory’s recently released Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II performed worse at launch compared the original game Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice.
A screenshot from Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 (2024), Ninja Theory
According to SteamDB charts the original Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice had peak concurrent players of 5,654 back in August 2017 when the game released. Sales estimations for the game run anywhere between 1.5 million from VG Insights to 5.08 million by PlayTracker.
SteamDB chart for Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
In October 2017, Chief Creative Director at Ninja Theory Tameem Antoniades told VentureBeat, “It sold better than our expectations. We’re doing one more dev diary where we’ll give out numbers and detail how it’s done. We want the data out there so other developers, if they want to do something similar, they have a data point, hopefully, to help encourage them to do more games like this.”
He added, “I think it’s almost broken even, or it’s about to break even in the next couple of weeks. I’d have to check. We weren’t expecting to break even for six, eight, nine months on this game. It looks like within three months, it will have broken even and then some. Of course, because we self-published it, it’s the first time we’re getting the bulk of the money back, which is amazing. We own the IP this time. It’s opened up a bunch of doors and possibilities that we just didn’t have until this point. In terms of a model, I’d say it is a success.”
Ninja Theory reported in June 2018 that the game had sold over one million copies. Of note that was the month that Ninja Theory announced it was being acquired by Microsoft.
Ninja Theory on X
The sequel, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is not performing as well as the first game. The game peaked at 3,982 concurrent players on May 21st when it released. It has been in decline since. It dipped to 2,682 on May 22nd, and fell to 1,920 on May 23rd.
Given the game has released recently, there are not solid estimates on sales numbers, but VG Insights predicts the game has sold 20,700 copies while PlayTracker estimates it’s only sold 25,000.
SteamDB chart for Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
Not only is the game performing worse than the first game, but it’s also performing worse than Redfall. Redfall’s peak concurrent players clocked in at 6,124 before quickly falling off a cliff.
Redfall player and sales data from Steam DB
It’s also performing worse than Hi-Fi Rush. Hi-Fi Rush had a peak concurrent player base of 6,132 when it released back in January 2023.
Hi-Fi Rush player and sales data from Steam DB
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II performing worse than both Redfall and Hi-Fi Rush is likely not a good sign given both of the developers behind those games were shut down by Microsoft earlier this month.
Arkane Studios announced that Arkane Austin was shutting down on May 7th writing on X, “Today it was announced that Arkane Austin will close and development will not continue on Redfall.”
“To everyone that has supported the work from our Austin studio over the years, thank you. Thank you for spending time in our worlds and making them your own,” the statement continued. “Arkane Lyon will continue their focus on immersive experiences where they are hard at work on their upcoming project.”
“Redfall players who purchased the Hero Pass as part of the premium Bite Back Edition or the premium Bite Back update will be eligible to receive the value of the upgrade. While there will be no further updates, Redfall’s servers will remain online for players to enjoy.”
Signup here https://t.co/wb1R4m4emj to receive details on how eligible players can receive this credit. pic.twitter.com/69Os17kpQ8
— Arkane Studios (@ArkaneStudios) May 7, 2024
Tango Gameworks, the developer behind Hi-Fi Rush also announced its closure on X writing, “Today it was announced that Tango Gameworks will close. Thank you to everyone that explored the worlds we created. Hi-Fi RUSH along with Tango’s previous titles will remain available and playable everywhere they are today.”
— Tango Gameworks (EN) (@TangoGameworks) May 7, 2024
Xbox Game Studios’ Matt Booty explained the closures in an email obtained by IGN’s Wesley Yin-Poole. Booty wrote, “These changes are grounded in prioritizing high-impact titles and further investing in Bethesda’s portfolio of blockbuster games and beloved worlds which you have nurtured over many decades.”
He added, “To double down on these franchises and invest to build new ones requires us to look across the business to identify the opportunities that are best positioned for success. This reprioritization of titles and resources means a few teams will be realigned to others and that some of our colleagues will be leaving us.”
A screenshot from Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 (2024), Ninja Theory
After going over the closures, Booty stated, “With this consolidation of our Bethesda studio teams, so that we can invest more deeply in our portfolio of games and new IP, a small number of roles across select Bethesda publishing and corporate teams will also be eliminated.”
He went on to note, “These changes are not a reflection of the creativity and skill of the talented individuals at these teams or the risks they took to try new things. I acknowledge that these changes are also disruptive to the various support teams across ZeniMax and Bethesda that bring our games to market. We are making these tough decisions to create capacity to increase investment in other parts of our portfolio and focus on our priority games.”
A screenshot from Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 (2024), Ninja Theory
Booty concluded his email touting upcoming games and DLC for a number of its major franchises, “Bethesda remains one of the key pillars of Xbox with a strong portfolio of amazing games and thriving communities. As we look to the future, there is an impressive line-up of games on the horizon. In 2024 alone we have Starfield Shattered Space, Fallout 76 Skyline Valley, Indiana Jones and The Great Circle, and The Elder Scrolls Online’s Golden Road.”
“As we align our plans and resources to best set ourselves up for success in this complex and changing industry, our teams across Arkane Lyon, Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, MachineGames, ZeniMax Online Studios and the Bethesda publishing and corporate teams will be well-positioned to build new IP, explore new game concepts, and expand on our existing franchises,” he finished.
A screenshot from Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 (2024), Ninja Theory
What do you make of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2’s player numbers being worse than the first game?
