The game would take longer to torrent than to actually play.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Hellblade 2's peak CCU outperformed Bleeding Edge and is still climbing on Steam
GudOlRub
Member
It's more of an interactive movie really, which isn't necessarily bad, it's just not what many people seemingly were expecting. Which I don't get tbh since the first game was pretty much the same.
Shrap
Member
GudOlRub
Member
So what is it?
You can't read? You don't have reading comprehension?
Or are you really that disingenuous?
Topher
Identifies as young
They are saying what you just said. "it's a shit game"
MadchesterManc
Member
After briefly being 4th in best sellers on steam at launch it's already dropped to 20th just 48 hours later.
A very small flash in a very small pan.
It's also 521st for current players on steam... on day 3.
Already getting beaten out by a Dead or Alive vacation game that's been on the market as long as Hellblade II's development. Savage
STARSBarry
Gold Member
Is it not a shit game? I'm confused now, he said it was shit.
Topher
Identifies as young
That's what I said
HeWhoWalks
Gold Member
GudOlRub
Member
Kek, yes, I too can single out certain parts of quotes without context to pretend I'm cool.
"It's a shit game, but a fantastic experience" should be telling, but I guess it's easier to just read the "shit game" part and take the piss from that.
Topher
Identifies as young
STARSBarry
Gold Member
OK so you like to pretend your cool and the game is so shit you say it twice, got it.
GudOlRub
Member
GHG
Gold Member
The true sacrifice for Senua is to become Senua.
ThisIsMyDog
Member
Steam is like 90% of the PC market, so these numbers are quite pathetic. You can't excuse it by saying the game is on Game Pass. Look at Pokemons with guns or Manor Lords, they were on Game Pass from day one too. I think Ninja Theory is going to be shut down, just like Tango Gameworks was.
GHG
Gold Member
I'd actually rather they didn't get shut down. Microsoft should learn to make use of all the studios they've purchased instead of treating them as disposable.
Most of these were businesses that were doing well enough without their intervention, it's crazy that they should be shut down for not hitting unrealistic or unattainable goals considering the business model they are now subject to.
Last edited:
Jaybe
Member
After briefly being 4th in best sellers on steam at launch it's already dropped to 20th just 48 hours later.
A very small flash in a very small pan.
It's also 521st for current players on steam... on day 3.
I wonder if Microsoft will even bother having a studio port this to PS5 with sales seemingly so dismal.
DryvBy
Member
That's what I didn't understand. The first one was at least unique but trying to make a franchise out of this? Only a big dumb publisher would think that was smart.
Killjoy-NL
Member
That's the result of the Xbox fanbase hyping the game up like there was no tomorrow, while ignoring what kind of studio NT actually is.
Topher
Identifies as young
Afraid so. The game is so short and has no replayability. Not a recipe for maintaining a high CCU.
near
Member
This is a better comparison to make. Not sure what OP was thinking trying to draw a comparison with a live service game that bombed on arrival.
phaedrus
Member
Daneel Elijah
Member
With Covid and the need to have something to hype the Series X Xbox had not many options. Ninja Theory at least finished the game in a reasonable amount of time.
What is dumb for me is what is supposed to happen next. No DLC, no small film/comic/story to deepen whatever lore the game had but either a sequel that will take years and means waiting another gen or a new project mara that risk to take them long enough to make Hellblade a dead IP.
GudOlRub
Member
The first game peaked at 5000ish players with a 10 mil budget and apparently it was good enough, so as long as the budget didn't balloon for this one and the gamepass numbers are decent, it may be enough for Microsoft to be content, we'll see.
This game should've been a gamepass Xbox Series launch title back in 2020, it would've been received much better I think since it could've been used like a tech demo of what next-gen was capable of.
Instead, it was released in the midst of all this chaos among the Xbox brand, and in the meantime people are already talking about a new xbox console in 2026 while it still feels like this gen hasn't properly started yet... complete madness.
DonkeyPunchJr
World’s Biggest Weeb
I’m so baffled that this game even got made. My best guess is this was supposed to be a small graphical showcase type game for Xbox Series launch window, especially considering it was the first Xbox series exclusive to be announced along with the console unveil.
It would’ve made sense to have a small-scale, visually impressive game that was developed quickly by a small team. I bet that’s what MS wanted.
According to Wikipedia the first Hellblade game was made by a team of 20 people, which eventually grew to 80 people for the sequel. IDK if we’ll ever get the whole story but I suspect that “COVID” related delays/excuses and the studio ballooning to 4x original size kept pushing it into the future.
I also wouldn’t be surprised if there were some attitude like “we’re fucked anyway, might as well drag this out and extract as much $$$ from our rich parent company as we can”
No way in hell MS would’ve bought this studio knowing that they’d produce a 5 hour long $50 game after 7 years.
STARSBarry
Gold Member
The joke is both of the titles listed had exclusives that afterwards had Microsoft close their studios recently.
This is also a Microsoft owned studio that just released an exclusive... take a guess what the punch line is.
Last edited:
XXL
Member
One of the most highly anticipated Xbox games in recent memory is on sale for less than $40
The long-awaited sequel to Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is already on sale for a 37% discount at CDKeys
www.windowscentral.com
Mownoc
Member
37% discount 2 days after release. Wonder how much stock CD Keys is sitting on lol.One of the most highly anticipated Xbox games in recent memory is on sale for less than $40
The long-awaited sequel to Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is already on sale for a 37% discount at CDKeys
FewRope
Member
Anyone thinking NT is going to still existing by the end of the year hasnt been paying attentionEven before launch, price was already dropping. Probably because there were so few pre-orders.
And it's probably going to keep falling, as stores try to get rid of the keys they still have.
XXL
Member
Yeah, I think they're done for.
It's kind of sad, they're a talent studio, but I honestly have no clue why they're making walking simulators or even why they made Bleeding Edge.
They should be making stuff like Heavenly Sword or Enslaved. Eventually people would have started paying more attention, in my opinion.
Last edited:
Mr Moose
Member
Did Ubisoft make this game?One of the most highly anticipated Xbox games in recent memory is on sale for less than $40
The long-awaited sequel to Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is already on sale for a 37% discount at CDKeys
MayauMiao
Member
Don't believe everyone here....
...but its true...
....they are lying...
.....are you sure?...
.....ponies are attacking this game
...xbots are lying..
...its a 10/10 game...
.....no its a 3/10...
Tomofdahook17
Member
Oh God, looks like my gut reaction is coming true. Those numbers are not great at all, for a flagship Xbox game? Sheesh.
ChorizoPicozo
Member
guys...i don't think is even worth making a port to PS5.
Killjoy-NL
Member
Not gonna lie, it was going to be a Day 1 purchase on PS5, but I'm kinda leaning towards a PS5 discount purchase.
Seems like a €30 title.
Astray
Member
The absolute worst part is the execs that made the disastrous decisions are not only trucking along just fine, they are held up as rockstars by dumb-ass fawning gaming journalists and fans at large.
Whatever money Satya pays the Microsoft PR team, they are worth double.
Over 5 years of active dev to produce a 5 hour cinematic experience is not reasonable by any means. It either should have been far more involved of an experience, or the dev time could have been cut massively.
Clearly something very wrong happened in this game's development. I refuse to believe they took this long to create a game with such limited scope.
It's utterly bizarre (as so, so many Xbox things are). It genuinely feels like they got scammed or bamboozled during the due-diligence phase of the deal.
I have a feeling that Tameem's exit is part of things too because it feels like he dumped the studio and ran to the nearest party yacht, we may never know for sure though.
Daneel Elijah
Member
I knew that some people would react to that statement. I could talk about how covid harmed them, or try to explain that the studio probably only worked for real after they finished Bleeding edge. The thing is that I think like you: something wrong happened in the game development. Microsoft happened. Like for Redfall, they let the studio loose time and energy in Bleeding edge then probably pushed them to use unreal engine 5 when they probably would have chosen to stay in Unreal 4 if they were still independent. Like other games that Xbox promised us around the Xbox Series S/X launch Microsoft pushed them before they had a firm concept in place. Now after 4/5 years of full dev we have a game that is shorter than the first one, but tech wise up there with the best studios in the world. In theory this is what they promised to Xbox. So for me this is reasonable. If Xbox wanted something else, they had to make the right choices in preproduction. Hire more people, order them to do more, ask them how to make a game with X hours of gameplay. At some point management is in charge, and this time Xbox was in charge from before the start of this game dev history. This is why for me the saddest part is what will happen next. Ask them to go next gen, when they just got themselves up to speed? Do another project that seems to be experimental instead of a straightforward new game? Be closed because they did not make a GOW rival?
With bosses like that, I would think that Ninja Theory did what they could. But if they are not closed in the next few months I would be curious to see a post mortem of that game dev. I love youtubers like Mattmcmuscles that try to give us the story of how games had a hard dev history. Hopefully we get more info in the future.
DonkeyPunchJr
World’s Biggest Weeb
Topher
Identifies as young
mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
There's literally nothing in those pics that are bad for the employees. Dev houses don't need to be sweatshops.
phaedrus
Member
JCreasy
Member
It's graphically impressive. And I care about visuals A LOT. But I knew this would happen.
We saw the signals earlier this month when the marketing was virtually MIA. I noted then that the Xbox marketing department was already treating the game like a sinking ship . . .
And now . . .
We saw the signals earlier this month when the marketing was virtually MIA. I noted then that the Xbox marketing department was already treating the game like a sinking ship . . .
And now . . .
After briefly being 4th in best sellers on steam at launch it's already dropped to 20th just 48 hours later.
A very small flash in a very small pan.
It's also 521st for current players on steam... on day 3.
