The founder of Ninja Theory quietly left the studio; Hellblade 2 is locked at 30fps on Xbox

Microsoft’s highly anticipated first-party game launch for 2024, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, has been the topic of several articles today. These previews, featuring hands-on experiences with the third-person action-adventure game developed by Ninja Theory, have uncovered some intriguing details about Hellblade II.

According to a Microsoft spokesperson, Tameem Antoniades, the founder, writer, and director of the first Hellblade game, has left the development studio Ninja Theory. No reason was given for his departure. His Instagram page, which lists him as the “Founder & Chief Creative @ Ninja Theory,”does not have any announcements about his departure from the team.

According to Polygon, Microsoft clarified that Antoniades was only involved in the initial stages of development for Hellblade 2. The current creative leads for the game at Ninja Theory include environment art director Dan Attwell, visual effects director Mark Slater-Tunstill, and audio director David Garcia, according to the company.

According to the Germany-based site GamePro.de, one of the noteworthy aspects of Hellblade 2 is that the Xbox console versions will have a locked 30fps with dynamic resolution and no other graphic mode options.

The GamePro article mentions that Ninja Theory’s decision to limit the frame rate to 30fps was motivated by their desire for the game to have a “cinematic”appearance, which is typically associated with movies running at 24fps. However, the PC version of the game will allow players to exceed this limit and choose their preferred frame rate. It should be noted that the article also states that the frame rate cap did not cause any issues during the playback session.

Microsoft has confirmed that Hellblade 2 will only be available as a digital release, with the standard version priced at $49.99. The game is scheduled to launch on May 21 for both Xbox Series X and S consoles, as well as PC. Additionally, it will be available on Day One for subscribers of PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass.