Ninja Theory has certainly been busy since getting acquired by Microsoft. Not only is the studio working on Senua's Saga: Hellblade II (and Bleeding Edge), but a new project was just announced as being in development. Called Project: MARA, this latest game from the British stuꦫdio will be "a real-world and grounded representation of mental terror."
Much like with the original Hellblade, Ninja Theory is basing this new title on the real-life experiences that people have had dealing with mental illness. The goal is "to recreate the horrors of the mind" and showcase them in a realistic and accurate manner. The studio claims🌳 this will be 🙈an experimental title, so it may not take the form of an action game or even adventure title.
We don't know much else, but a short teaser gives us a look at what visual style to expect. This seems to be using the same Unreal Engine 4 technology that powered Hellblade. That could also be actress Melina Juergens portraying the main character again, which would be nice. She did a fantastic job in Hellblade and i𝄹s cﷺertainly a recognizable face for Ninja Theory.
Considering Senua's Saga is pegged to be an Xbox Series X launch title, we probably won't be hearing too much about Project: MARA in the near future. The title, itself, sounds like a placeholder and I'm betting Ninja Theory is merely showing this off to let fans see what it will be cooking up. After a series of decent-to-average titles, the studio found a ton of success with Hellblade, so it would be silly to drop thatಞ style of game.
With Microsoft backing this, it's pretty safe to assume this will be an Xbox Series X game. It wouldn't make sense to bring this to Xbox One, though Microsoft's Phil Spencer has indicated the newest Xbox console won't be receiving fully exclusive games until roughly a year or so after release. Maybe Project: MARA will be one of those cross-generational games.
ꦐEven if it isn't, the announcement of this title should be good news for fans of the studio. It looks to co🔜ntinue the team's style of extreme dedication to realism and boundary-pushing development.
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