Ninja Theory Co-Founder Has Left The Hellblade 2 Studio

04.04.2024 - 17:59 / gamerant.com / Ninja Theory / Tameem Antoniades / John Bonelli

Tameem Antoniades, a co-founder of Xbox's Ninja Theory studio and writer and director of the imminent Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, has left the developer. As the first ever Xbox Series X game to be revealed, Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 was announced alongside the unveiling of the Series X at the 2019 Game Awards and is the direct sequel of 2017's hit cinematic adventure game, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice.

After several more gameplay showings at showcases and events over the past couple of years, Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2's latest appearance at Xbox's most recent Developer Direct in January finally gave the long awaited game its May 21 release date. The eight-minute Developer Direct deep dive also gave eager fans yet another glimpse of Hellblade 2's cinematically brutal combat and its top-of-class audio design. Next to Avowed and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Hellblade 2 is set to be one of Xbox's biggest first party exclusive games coming this year.

Just a month and a half before the release of Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, Xbox has confirmed that Ninja Theory's co-founder and Chief Creative Director Tameem Antoniades has made his departure from the studio. Exactly when he left is unknown, but over his years with Ninja Theory, Antoniades was known for games like Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, Heavenly Sword, DmC: Devil May Cry, and, of course, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. In his absence, Hellblade 2 is being led to the finish line by Visual Effects Director Mark Slater-Tunstill, Environment Art Director Dan Attwell, and Audio Director David Garcia.

Whether Tameem Antoniades goes on to join another acclaimed studio in the future or start a development studio of his very own is unknown. If one thing is certain, it's that he left behind a state-of-the-art motion capture stage at Ninja Theory, and that attempting to create a new game as cinematically rich as Hellblade 2 without it would be no easy task. As for the future of Ninja Theory, with Atwell, Slater-Tunstill, and Garcia taking over Hellblade 2, perhaps the trio may look to take the lead on the studio's next venture, whether a third Hellblade installment or an entirely new IP.

Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 is finally set to release on May 21, and it'll be Xbox's first major exclusive title of the year, with Avowed and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle set to follow up later in 2024. Judging by what's been shown over the years since its 2019 unveiling, Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 is surely shaping up to be a visual feast for fans of cinematic action adventure games.

Ninja Theory's highly anticipated sequel, Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, will continue Senua's journey, with the story rumored to be set in Iceland. The PC, Xbox Series X/S game will be