Ninja Theory Explains Why Hellblade II Is Only Eight Hours Long

Despite being acquired by Microsoft almost six years ago, many gamers had high hopes for Hellblade II to become Microsoft’s response to the rebooted God of War series. However, in order to achieve this, Ninja Theory would have had to significantly expand the scale of the sequel. Instead, they chose to maintain the game’s short length of only eight hours.

In a conversation with IGN, Dominic Matthews, the studio head of Ninja Theory, elaborated on the unique decision:

Our goal is always to effectively convey a story through our games, and we strive to make the game length suitable for the story we want to tell. Our focus is not on creating shorter experiences, but rather on finding the perfect length to fully capture the beginning, middle, and end of our story. This is the starting point in our creative process.

With the rise of digital distribution, the gaming industry has become more inclusive of games of various lengths and styles, which I find to be a positive development. It’s heartening to see that many people now appreciate shorter gaming experiences that allow them to fully immerse themselves in the game with their headphones on and the lights off on a Friday night. Gone are the days where games had to be 50 or 100 hours long, now they can be as long as necessary. As someone who prefers shorter games, I am delighted by this shift in the industry.

In my opinion, there is a significant demand for people’s time nowadays. Based on feedback from our fans, it seems that they prefer shorter games, where each step contributes to a meaningful experience. There is a specific group of individuals seeking games that are more focused in nature.

Some individuals may not have the time for lengthy games, but there is a range of game lengths available. For example, God of War: Ragnarok requires over 50 hours to complete, while Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, which is priced higher than the original, maintains the same length.

Despite this, there is a positive aspect in that the upcoming game from Ninja Theory will be accessible on Game Pass for those who wish to play it. To learn more about the sequel releasing on May 21 for PC and Xbox Series S|X, refer to this article.