Ninja Theory Closure: What Happens to Senua After Layoffs?

Ninja Theory, the Cambridge studio behind Hellblade, is still facing closure and its staff are already leaving. Xbox said in September that two separate deals to save the studio had fallen through and opened consultation on a proposed closure. In early October, developers began posting farewells on LinkedIn. Here is where things stand and what it means for Senua.

Quick summary

• Status: Xbox announced a proposed closure of Ninja Theory on 22 September 2026 after two rescue deals failed.
• Layoffs: Staff started confirming redundancies publicly from early October.
• Senua: The third Hellblade game was shown in June and was planned for 2027. Its future has not been confirmed either way.
• Not final: The latest reports we could find say Xbox is still exploring alternatives, so treat "closed" as proposed, not official.

What happened to Ninja Theory?

Xbox is in the middle of what its leadership calls a reset. On 22 September, Xbox chief content officer Matt Booty confirmed 268 more role cuts across Halo Studios, other first-party studios and central management layers. The same day, reporting from The Verge and others said Ninja Theory could close because no buyer or funding partner had been secured.

That put the studio in a different spot from Double Fine and Compulsion Games, which went independent, and Undead Labs, which finished its separation from Xbox the same day and is still working on State of Decay 3 for 2027.

Are Ninja Theory employees being laid off?

Yes, according to IGN, which spotted a run of LinkedIn posts in early October. Gameplay programmer Katrin Mair wrote that it was "incredibly sad knowing that we won't get to finish what we were working on." Technical director Loong-Wei Ding, technical sound designer Alessio Mellina and performance capture specialist Xoe Suvari also shared that they were leaving or at risk. Mellina worked on the binaural audio behind Hellblade's whispering voices.

The posts suggest cuts reach across the whole studio, though Xbox has not published a headcount for Ninja Theory.

What happens to Senua now?

Xbox revealed Senua at its June showcase. Xbox's own support page lists a 2027 release on Xbox Series X|S, PC, Steam, PlayStation 5 and Game Pass. No official cancellation has been announced. Insider Gaming reported that Microsoft trademarked "Senua" shortly before the closure news, which suggests Microsoft wants to keep the name, though that is an inference from a filing and not a statement of plans.

IGN notes it is widely speculated that the June reveal was meant to attract buyers, since Microsoft would already have known it did not plan to publish the game itself. Microsoft has not confirmed that.

Why does this matter for Xbox fans?

Ninja Theory is one of several Xbox studios caught in the restructuring. Fortune reported in October that more layoff rounds are planned for November and January, and The Verge says the company is roughly three-quarters through the cuts it announced. If you follow the wider picture, our Xbox layoffs explainer covers the timeline, and our report on Arkane Lyon's bids shows another studio waiting on a verdict.

Will Senua still release in 2027?

Nobody outside Microsoft can say. With staff leaving, a 2027 date looks hard to hold unless another owner steps in. Until Xbox confirms a sale, a closure or a cancellation, the honest answer is that the game's future is open. Track other dates on our launch calendar.

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