80°

Developer Salute – Ninja Theory

GI - "When Ninja Theory announced it would be taking the reins of the Devil May Cry series and it unveiled its new dark-haired Dante, the Internet collectively grabbed their keyboard-shaped pitch forks and started stabbing them into the air. I, on the other hand, got incredibly excited."

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gameinformer.com
-Foxtrot3886d ago

Salute...to Ninja Theory

Your joking right, the guys who single handily ruined the dmc franchise.

zeal0us3886d ago

The DMC franchise got ruin when DMC2 came out tbh. I do believe if Tameem had treated the fanbase better than the game might have sold more.

I remember calling the fanbase just a "noisy minority" and say he didn't care if the game sold 2,000 units or 2million.

NT should've just made Heavenly Sword 2 but oh well.

tanookisuit3886d ago

I don't know about Heavenly Sword 2... Didn't awhile back Tameem say it was Sony's "fault" for the poor sales of HS1, and refused to work with them again? :/

Fireseed3886d ago

Not only that but the game was abysmal, who honestly wants a sequel?

Elda3886d ago

Maybe NT will check their egos in the future when it comes to developing games,they're not bad developers at all.

hulk_bash19873886d ago (Edited 3886d ago )

Ninja theory are a bunch of tw@s. Especially That Tameem guy, what a self righteous D-bag.

sypher3886d ago (Edited 3886d ago )

For a 'launch' title HS1 didn't exactly get bad sales. In fact it is the best selling Ninja Theory game ever. Even with 360/PS3 sales combined for their other games.

They just expected more than the estimated 1.6 million copies sold for Heavenly Sword. But that was instead their apex.

As for Ninja Theory's skill. They are excellent game makers, their marketing not so much. They have just never had that massive commercial success they strive for yet. I'm sure if they continue it will come one day.

And I for one hope they continue to give us great gaming experiences.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 3886d ago
pr0t0typeknuckles3886d ago

I could never salute ninja theory ive played all their games and heavenly sword is tge only good one,yet they act like they are making some of the best games ever.

Williamson3886d ago

Heavenly sword was probably the most impressive game they made and it sold the best out of all the games they made. Enslaved was pretty good, but I never finished

Elda3886d ago (Edited 3886d ago )

People may have their personal negative opinions about NT but they did a great job with HS wish it could have been a sequel but I guess their egos prohibited that from happening,I personally enjoyed DmC loved the design & gameplay.Far as game designers & developers they're not at all bad when it comes to their craft.

Bolts3886d ago

Sony should bring back Heavenly Sword for the PS4.

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410°

Former Hellblade Director & Ninja Theory Founder Explains Why He Left The Studio

Former Hellblade director and Ninja Theory co-founder has offered an explanation regarding his departure from the now Microsoft-owned studio.

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twistedvoxel.com
XiNatsuDragnel17d ago

I hope he forms a new studio soon

Cacabunga16d ago

It is a good studio.. i really enjoyed their dmc game that i platinumed it.
I did not try hellblade, because it doesnt tell me much.. Enslaved was very mehhh
Heavenly Sword was good not great. Amazing graphics back in the day but so repetitive and not so engaging in the long run.

stoney10116d ago

I really enjoyed Enslaved and Heavenly Sword back in the day. Wish they'd return to that sort of game. Hellblade isn't really for me to be honest. Not saying it's not a good game, I just couldn't get into it.

Popsicle16d ago (Edited 16d ago )

That is fair. I enjoyed Hellblade but can definitely see how it isn’t for everyone.

Would like to see how Heavenly Sword would have turned out if developed today. It’s easy to forget that games like Heavenly Sword were unprecedented and in their infancy.

shinoff218315d ago (Edited 15d ago )

Enslaved has been their favorite game for me. Loved the atmosphere.

1nsomniac15d ago

Heavenly sword was a staggeringly good game!! One of the most memorable of the PS3 generation in my opinion.

Babadook715d ago (Edited 15d ago )

Heavenly sword was good. It had ambitious graphics and as a result the frame rate suffered and as a result the gameplay suffered. But the story was phenomenal. Great acting, especially Andy Serkis as the king.

Jingsing16d ago (Edited 16d ago )

"Microsoft" we all read between the lines. We have seen the exact same thing happen with many of their other acquisitions

InUrFoxHole15d ago

Jesus man! Try reading the article at least.

cthulhucultist16d ago

One thing that pleasantly surprised me, was the Switch port, as back then it was my only console. The graphics were amazing and the artistic design helped a lot to enhance the visuals.I took some really impressive screen shots while playing which I still revisit them from time to time to remind me what a capable developer (QLOC) can achieve with weaker hardware.

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400°

Xbox Acquired Hellblade Developer Ninja Theory for $117 Million

According to FTC filings, Microsoft acquired Ninja Theory for $117 million.

Obscure_Observer301d ago

Ninja Theory is made of very talented and passionate developers.

I´m glad that saw that studio´s potential and chose it to be part of the Xbox family!

Now under Xbox they´re AAA and has all the freedom and resources in the world to deliver amazing games for us!

Thank you Phil and Tameem Antoniades.

blackblades301d ago (Edited 301d ago )

Stop slurping in public

RpgSama301d ago

He is getting out of hand lately, he took it to 11 now.

Army_of_Darkness301d ago (Edited 301d ago )

@Obscure_Observer

"oh thank you so much Xbox! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! I bend the knee for you my lord!" 🤣🤣

Ninja theory is okay. Not great.

Elda301d ago

LOL!! That's the behavior & words from a true fanatic.

Crows90301d ago (Edited 301d ago )

The potential??? Remind us all who they've tapped their potential? What new IP are they working on???

Oh wait...that's right. They needed a cinematic story driven IP ...hellblade was well received so they bought them for peanuts.

And let's see.. what are they currently working on and to what scope compared to before??

Basically the same game but #2
Similar situation to the tomb raider sequel except this time they made this sequel a permanent exclusive.

Knushwood Butt301d ago

Maybe Bleeding Edge was the potential.

Crows90301d ago

@knush

Oh crap you're right. Lol that thing was definitely a result of the Microsoft acquisition.

4Sh0w301d ago

Ninja Theory has alot of potential, but Hellblade 2 needs more action gameplay before I get excited. They did well with Heavenly Sword & DMC games so hopefully we'll see a full blown new action IP from them after H2.

Crows90301d ago

@4sh0W

Just imagine what they could do...people falsely claiming hellblade 2 is like god of war...Heavenly sword, which was a playstation exclusive, was more in competition with god of war.

Obscure_Observer300d ago

"Oh wait...that's right. They needed a cinematic story driven IP ...hellblade was well received so they bought them for peanuts."

MS paid $117 million for Ninja Theory which at the time was an indie studio made of only 20 people.

Sony paid $229 million for Insomniac which at the time were made of 400 employees.

That was a steal! Lol!

"And let's see.. what are they currently working on and to what scope compared to before??"

The original Hellblade was developed and produced by only 20 people (Melinda included).

As an Xbox first party studio, Ninja Theory has now 200+ employees and Hellblade II will be full AAA game powered by UE5. In term of scope, the original Hellblade only features only small areas to explore, while in Hellblade II gamers will be allowed to explore all areas of Iceland.

"Basically the same game but #2"

Lol. You´re in for a major shock! XD

Crows90300d ago

@obscure

There will be shock...but It think itll be all over you.
The same but number 2 wasnt meant as an insult. I liked the first one..so I know I'll like the second. You probably didnt care for the first one for a couple of reasons.

1. They were you referred to it as a small indie game
2. It wasnt an xbox exclusive

Youll be in shock when its pretty much the same but number 2. Number 2 of any game is ALWAYS bigger.
God of War Ragnarok is essentally God of War but number 2. Same kind of game but bigger in scope.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 300d ago
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301d ago
neutralgamer1992301d ago (Edited 301d ago )

Obscure

You really think he gives a damn about you or me thanking him? Seriously man does it not bother you at all that you are such a huge fanboy of Xbox and your comments come across like cult members

Be a gamer for gaming these corporations don’t care about any of us. We are dollar signs to them

On topic

I am glad for NT because their last game they struggled so much just to complete it and companies even provided equipment just for them to get the work done. Now they have peace of mind with resources they need. Hopefully they can naturally grow into a bigger studio and make some amazing games

Godmars290301d ago

They're mid tier devs at best. Failed to nail one of their biggest shots with Heavenly Sword, went way over their weight limit with DMC: DmC, and got lucky with apparent one-shot, B title Hellbalde. Which MS expects them to make into a franchise?

I'll just wait for the first "Hellbalde better than GOW" article. Cause that's going to be fun...

4Sh0w301d ago

Salt, Salt, Salt is basically all you said.

Vengeance1138301d ago

Mid developer remains mid lol Wake me up when they actually put out something half decent haha

porkChop301d ago

It's funny how no one called them mid tier until Xbox acquired them. People loved Heavenly Sword, Enslaved, Hellblade, etc, but now they're suddenly mid tier? Touch grass.

MadLad301d ago

@porkchop

I mean, you called it out first and you're not wrong.
DmC definitely got the shaft, yet it was successful and a good game. The closest thing they ever released to be considered "mid" was Heavenly Sword.

Lightning77301d ago

It's Bad now but great here. https://n4g.com/news/208826...

Even saying support Hell Blade because Shadow Of Wars Microtransactions.

Scroll down a little bit and you'll even see Obscures comment. He may be A hardcore Xbox fanboy but at least he's consistent here. Can't say the same in these comment sections.

301d ago
1nsomniac300d ago

While the corporate xbox ass licking is as pathetic as it gets. How is it any different to the Sony usuals in here that sprout this pathetic crap on a daily basis!

They both need to get filtered elsewhere so the grown ups can talk like adults.

+ Show (7) more repliesLast reply 300d ago
P_Bomb301d ago

I wonder if they’ll ever reboot Enslaved?

shinoff2183301d ago

I liked enslaved I felt it was one of their better games

Sonic1881301d ago (Edited 301d ago )

Enslaved was just mediocre. So I doubt they'll bring that back. Tbh most of their games were mediocre including Hellblade. That felt like a walking simulator

Knightofelemia301d ago (Edited 301d ago )

Enslaved was a sleeper hit which it was and is still a great game to play. If a person who missed out on it I would say snag it off Ebay and play it. It's still one of my favorite games.

Melankolis301d ago (Edited 301d ago )

It was a good game, but....just good, not great nor it interesting. Maybe the background of the characters aren't well told, lack of lore, just start and play. I gave it 8. Good but easily forgettable. Yeah you may call it mediocre. NT is quite talented, but they lack something.

Sonic1881301d ago (Edited 301d ago )

@Knight

I never felt like their games were great. Just solid or mediocre but that's my opinion. I am still interested in playing Hellblade 2 on PC because of the graphics. I think this game is going to look fantastic on PC

mkis007301d ago

Damn this really puts into perspective yet again how good a deal sony got for insomniac...the workhorse of the industry at this point.

Aloymetal301d ago

That was the 1st thing that came to my mind, Sony got Insomniac for pennies and they've been pumping out great games since this gen started nonstop. Amazing.

MEGANE301d ago

Yes but any winnings there they lost on bungie, imo.

mkis007301d ago

I somewhat disagree. They bought Bungie for the expertise. The largest chunk of Bungie was for talent retention; they paid more to make sure everyone stayed at Bungie. Sony wants talent, IP's are just a bonus because they know they can and will create more.

__SteakDeck__301d ago (Edited 301d ago )

@MEGANE I know I’m going to get downvoted to hell, because this is n4g and people here hate GAAS games. But how the hell did they lose on Bungie? Do you know how much money Destiny will bring and Marathon will bring? Lol

MEGANE300d ago

I get it, but a couple Billion more and they could have bought square enix… a publisher full of IPs… I don’t disagree with acquiring bungie but 3.5 billion and sony can’t even dictated exclusivity? Please.

PhillyDonJawn301d ago

They have High potential. Add some good combat mechanics and action to go with the graphics and story telling. Ad you got a mega hit.

301d ago
Show all comments (50)
120°

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 Developer Diary Goes Behind the Scenes With Motion Capture

Ninja Theory outlines the upgrades made for performance capture, leading to more realistic animations in the upcoming sequel.

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gamingbolt.com
rlow1315d ago

This game looks incredible. Loved the first one, the story was good. I’m curious to see where they take it.

potatoseal315d ago

Yeah the story was really good in the first one and I have no doubt the story will be great in this one too. I just hope they can improve a lot on the gameplay side of things this time around, more specifically the combat.

Tacoboto315d ago

They'll have doubled the combat encounters from 6 to 12, with 48 motion-captured fall down and push back animations

rlow1315d ago

I agree, for me the combat was sluggish and repetitive. I’m really hoping they nail 60 fps.

Terry_B315d ago

..replace game with movie and it makes sense.

cthulhucultist315d ago

Funny this is that the QLOC's port of Hellblade on Switch, was amazing graphically (given the limitations of the hardware that is).

I was amazed by the graphics, lighting and scenes and I couldnt stop taking photos with photo mode.

My only issue is with the next game (and I suspect that most people will agree on this), is that we have not seen much gameplay (few actual gameplay seconds back at Game Awards 2021).

If this is indeed slated for 2024 release, they should showcase some gameplay in Gamescom or at another event this year.

giovonni315d ago

I can’t wait to see where this game takes us this time around

CrimsonWing69315d ago (Edited 315d ago )

Guys! Ffs, just show a normal bit of the game. Yes the motion capture technology and graphics fidelity looks great, but my god… it’s like all that we ever see. I want to see another VGA level showcase where we see more of the combat or something other than a cutscene or showing off the tech.

Flawlessmic315d ago

100%!!!

Becoming a joke now, it's been 4 years, it's about dam time we get some real gameplay.

Enough with the dev diary's already.

Shadowsteal315d ago

Announced in 2019, and not a lick of gameplay. Might as well just produce a movie at this point.

Magog315d ago

It's basically
Motion Capture: The Game