We already know how long Hellblade 2 will last: less than expected

The hopes of the Xbox universe are set on the highly anticipated Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II which will be released on May 21st. Today a lot of classified information is coming out thanks to the interviews being given by the game developers.

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When Ninja Theory was acquired by Microsoft almost six years ago, many players expected Hellblade II to become Microsoft’s answer to the rebooted God of War franchise.

In order to do so, Ninja Theory would have had to greatly expand the scope of the sequel, but instead they decided to stick to a short eight-hour game.

Being a game like God of War or being a small but intense game

In statements to IGN, the head of Ninja Theory studio, Dominic Matthews, explained the controversial choice:

“I think what we have always aimed for is to tell a story and have the game’s duration be appropriate for the story we want to tell. So it’s not about creating shorter experiences. I think it is… We want to tell a story with a beginning, a middle, and an end, and what is the right form and size of the experience to tell it? That’s where we start.”

“What I would also say is that, since digital distribution is a reality, it has opened the industry to games of all shapes and sizes, which I think is great. I am pleased to see that there are many people who enjoy a shorter experience, something they can sit down with on a Friday night, put on their headphones, turn off the lights, and immerse themselves in an experience, and players who don’t necessarily want something that lasts 50 or 100 hours, but rather something as long as necessary. And I am one of those people, I like short games,” explains Matthews.

“I believe that nowadays there is a lot of pressure on people’s time and I think that our fans, from what we hear from them, enjoy a shorter game in which our intention is that each step of that journey makes sense… There is an audience of people who want games that are focused,” concludes the reflection.

While it is true that some people don’t have time for massive games, there is also a lot of space between eight-hour games and, for example, the over 50 hours required by God of War: Ragnarok. Additionally, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II has a higher price than the original while maintaining the same duration.

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Fortunately, the price in this case is not a problem, since the next game from Ninja Theory will be available on Game Pass for those interested in playing it. It will arrive on May 21st for PC and Xbox Series S|X.