Seven years on from the launch of the first Hellblade game, Ninja Theory’s long-awaited Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 launches this month – in just two weeks’ time, on 21st May. It’s one of only a handful of games from Xbox Game Studios to arrive in 2024 – and yet fans have commented that Microsoft hasn’t yet made much of a deal about it.
The idea that Hellblade 2 might slip out under the radar would be a concerning one, considering the fate that befell Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks earlier this week. Despite a positive critical response to its award-winning game, its impact was apparently not enough to save the studio from being closed alongside Redfall maker Arkane Austin and others as part of sweeping Microsoft cuts.
Writing on social media platform X last night, Xbox marketing mouthpiece Aaron Greenberg told fans that Hellblade 2’s “global paid media campaign started yesterday”, and noted there was a “special Iceland creator event” happening now – where the company has apparently flown some YouTubers to visit the game’s setting (not to the supermarket).