Ninja Theory, the studio behind the Hellblade series, appears to have initiated its redundancy process, with multiple developers announcing on LinkedIn that their positions are at risk. This news follows reports that Microsoft is planning to close the studio after two potential acquisition deals fell through after Ninja Theory's split from Xbox.
Several team members have publicly shared their situations. Alessio Mellina, the studio's Technical Sound Designer, stated, "After almost 12 years at Ninja Theory, my role here is now at risk of redundancy. I'm now on the lookout for new opportunities." Mellina highlighted their expertise in dynamic audio systems, UE Blueprint scripting, and Wwise integration.
Performance capture technician Xoe Suvari shared a poignant message: "Well, so ends my time at Ninja Theory. It's taken me a while to decide what to say about working here, and I still have to borrow the words of a friend and fellow Ninja: Even if I knew how it would end, I would do it again."
Gameplay programmer Katrin Mair expressed sadness over the potential unfinished state of the studio's current project, believed to be the next installment in the Senua saga. "It’s incredibly sad knowing that we won’t get to finish what we were working on," Mair wrote. "So much care, talent and effort went into it, and I really wish we’d had the chance to see what it could have become. Mostly, I just want to say thank you to everyone I worked with over the last four years."
Other staff members, including technical director Loong-Wei Ding, sound designers Matteo Tummino and Daniele Galante, senior technical artist Matt Le-Fevre, and character artist Pietro Berto, have also posted about redundancies or their search for new employment in the past week. This gradual announcement of affected employees may indicate that staff are being informed in stages, or that individuals are taking time to process the situation before making their circumstances public.
Solidarity has been expressed towards the Ninja Theory staff facing these redundancies.