During today’s Xbox Developer Direct, the company pulled back the curtain on several games coming out in the near future. One of those games was Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. Microsoft showed off some brand-new gameplay, but the biggest news is that we finally have a release date: May 21st, 2024. That date actually got leaked by sources for Exputer earlier in the month of January, and has now been confirmed. On that day, the game will be available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and via Cloud Gaming, and it will be a day one release on Xbox Game Pass.ย
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Hellblade II Platforms
The original Hellblade was a multi-platform game, and was released in 2017 on PlayStation 4 and PC. Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice received strong critical reception, and won numerous awards that year. The game appeared on Xbox One in 2018, which was the same year that Ninja Theory was purchased by Microsoft. Despite becoming a first-party studio, Ninja Theory brought Hellblade over to Nintendo Switch in 2019.ย
Over the last few years, Microsoft has made a habit of bringing its first-party games to other platforms. In addition to Hellblade, games like Ori and the Blind Forest have also gone multi-platform, and rumors suggest that Hi-Fi Rush will also get a release on PlayStation and Switch. Some users have been frustrated about Microsoft’s exclusives releasing on other platforms, as they believe it hurts the appeal of owning an Xbox console. Thankfully for those that do worry about this sort of thing, a recent report from Windows Central claims that Hellblade II will stay an Xbox console exclusive.ย
Hellblade II: What to Expect
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II will pick back up from there the original game left off. However, Ninja Theory will be making a number of changes and improvements. Notably, the game’s combat systems and scale have been greatly expanded from the original. Players can also expect to see different enemies from the previous game, and a deeper dive into the character’s background. For those that have yet to play Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, the game is currently available through Xbox Game Pass.ย
The sequel’s increased scale has been a major talking point in the years since it was announced. In 2022, director Tameem Antoniades made headlines following an interview with NME. Antoniades said that “Hellblade 2 will make Hellblade look like an indie game.” The negative connotation frustrated a lot of indie developers, who took issue with the comparison.ย
It remains to be seen whether Hellblade 2‘s increased scale will result in a better game, but thankfully fans won’t have to wait too much longer to find out! Hopefully the game will prove enjoyable for those that played the original, and newcomers alike.ย
Are you happy that Hellblade II will be coming in a few months? Do you plan on checking it out? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter atย @Marcdachampย or on Instagram atย @Dachampgaming!
