Hellblade developer facing cuts.



More bad news for Ninja Theory today, as the studio's consultation process with Xbox - following a second wave of cuts last week - seems to have resulted in layoffs.

First, how did we get here? Back in July, Xbox announced the beginning of its "reset". This is a major restructuring of the Xbox business, and included 3,200 planned job cuts and several studio cuts.

One of those studios was Ninja Theory. Unlike Double Fine - another studio that managed to head off on its own as an independent developer - Xbox had worked to transfer ownership of Ninja Theory to another company. That way, the studio could live on and continue work on Senua, a game only revealed back in June.

Sadly, the proposed sale of Ninja Theory didn't manifest, as a letter penned by Xbox COO Matt Booty confirmed that two separate sale-related agreements "fell through". As a result, Xbox and Ninja Theory began a consultation process as the studio moved towards closure, though Booty was sure to note that Xbox would "continue to explore other paths forward" in the meantime. As such, Ninja Theory's closure wasn't a certainty.

While the wider survival of Ninja Theory remains up in the air, we fast forward to today where its developers nonetheless face redundancy. As spotted by journalist Chris Kerr, employees took to LinkedIn to express their sadness around the situation, as well as their appreciation for their fellow Ninja Theory developers.

"Sadly, after almost nine incredible years at Ninja Theory, my position is now at risk," wrote principle sound designer Daniele Galante. They shared an anecdote about the first Hellblade scene they worked, and then added: "Although I am not going to pretend I am not sad about having to say goodbye to many friends, I feel ready for my next adventure, knowing that I will bring with me a huge wealth of experience gained at Ninja and throughout my previous roles."



Gameplay programmer Katrin Mair posted: "I've been trying to figure out how to write this because Ninja Theory was never just a job to me. I moved to the UK for Ninja. It was where I started my career in the games industry, and it ended up becoming such a big part of my life."

Principle programmer Stefano Prosperi added: "Now, with Ninja Theory facing closure and all of us facing redundancy, it's difficult to process the idea that this chapter may be coming to an end. I feel sadness, uncertainty and disappointment, of course. But more than anything, I feel incredibly fortunate.

"Fortunate to have spent 13 years doing something I love.

Fortunate to have worked with people at the very top of their craft. Fortunate to have been part of a studio that created things we genuinely cared about."

These three are a few of the many developers who have either lost, or are at risk of losing, their jobs as part of Xbox's restructuring. This mass reorganisation has still not concluded, leaving those at other Xbox-owned studios fearful of future cuts.

Ninja Theory in recent years had established itself as a stand-out UK studio, responsible for the acclaimed Hellblade series. Hellblade 2 earned five stars from Eurogamer back in 2024, and was described as "triumphant".

Senua



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