However, despite these potential plans, the report notes that it is still unclear whether any member of Ninja Theory’s leadership was aware of this plan.

Other reports have indicated that Ninja Theory, along with Double Fine and Compulsion Games, have begun negotiations with Microsoft with the hopes of spinning the companies off rather than simply being closed down. Even if these negotiations are successful, however, the studios will still likely end up being affected by major layoffs.

More recently, Insider Gaming’s Mike Straw had noted through social media posts that Xbox is planning to shut down “at least two” of its studios by the end of the year. “One of which would come as a shock to everyone,” he said.

“It wasn’t Obsidian or Rare, for those who’ve asked. I’m working on trying to get more details on what employees are feeling at the moment. But the picture could become clearer in the coming weeks, depending on what decisions get finalized.”

Rumors have indicated that Xbox is planning layoffs and studio closures following the end of Microsoft’s fiscal year on June 30th. These decisions are seemingly being made as part of Xbox CEO Asha Sharma’s plans to reduce the losses of revenues that have been incurred by the division in recent times. In a post discussing the “realities” faced by Xbox, Sharma and CCO Matt Booty had written about the company seeing its accountability margins go down by 3 percent year-on-year.

“We will end this fiscal year at about a 3 percent accountability margin, down year-over-year,” they wrote. “Excluding Activision Blizzard King, over the past five years, we have spent over $20 billion on ongoing investments in our content, platform, and hardware subsidy, but our annual revenue has declined nearly half a billion during that time. Going forward, this cannot continue.”

In the meantime, Xbox Game Studios head Craig Duncan and chief of staff Louise O’Connor have reportedly stepped down from their roles. In an email to staff, Duncan wrote about having led Xbox Game studios for 20 months, and being proud of the “many flawless launches that drove business success for the company” that took place under his tenure.

Despite all the doom and gloom surrounding potential studio closures and layoffs, Xbox’s chief strategy officer Matthew Ball has reaffirmed that the company is not “reversing course” on its plans to release more Xbox-exclusive games.

“These rumors are false. Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution will stay exclusive,” he wrote on social media. “There are no conversations and have been no conversations to ‘reverse course.’”

For more on why Xbox might be looking to trim some of its workforce, check out the report about how successful Xbox releases had to subsidize underwhelming projects, including some that were cancelled.

But that’s not the only area it’s going to improve, as the developer confirmed on Twitter that it would be “quite a bit longer” than its predecessors. “We’re creating a more expansive, fully-realized action-adventure journey while still keeping the experience focused, carefully crafted, and deliberately paced around Senua’s story.”

As for the plot, our hero is apparently trapped between the realms of the living and dead, seeking to reach the afterlife. The problem is all the enemies in her path, especially those pulling from her memories. If you know anything about Senua’s trials and tribulations, especially with psychosis, then it’s going to be a very tough journey indeed.

Compared to the Hellblade series, Senua offers a more interconnected world with more exploration and puzzle-solving. Combat has also been upgraded with the ability to dual-wield and a handful of abilities to unleash. Of course, you can also expect bosses, including what appears to be a long-awaited confrontation against the shadow of her past.

Senua launches in 2027 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, so stay tuned for further updates and more gameplay in the coming months.

The trailer for Senua, coming in at 2 minutes in length, gives us a thorough look at the upcoming title’s gameplay, which will involve much more of what players have already been familiar with if they’ve played the previous entries in the series. This means plenty of platforming to get to new locations, and visceral melee combat where just about every attack could mean the difference between life and death for Senua.

While it might look quite similar to the previous Hellblade games, studio head Dom Matthews has confirmed that Senua doesn’t have “Hellblade” as part of its title because it is “an out-and-out action-adventure game”. This means that players will have “more agency and a lot more gameplay” in the upcoming game.

The core story of Senua seems to revolve around the eponymous protagonist trying to fight her way through hordes of enemies in order to reach the afterlife and reunite with the loved ones that she has lost over the years. Ninja Theory has also noted that all of the gameplay showcased in the trailer is from an early pre-release build of the game, and that will likely be much more polished by the time its release date rolls around.

Senua is being developed for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, and is slated for release some time in 2027.