With some talking about the studio shutting down, Microsoft has reportedly approved a new game from Hellblade 2 developer Ninja Theory…

Microsoft has reportedly approved a new game from Hellblade 2 developer Ninja Theory and has no plans to close the studio. According to Windows Central, the latest game from the Cambridge, UK-based developer will complement the already announced upcoming psychological horror game Project Mara. The latter takes place entirely in a single posh apartment. There are absolutely no plans to close the studio in the near future, Windows Central added.

Microsoft released Ninja Theory’s Hellblade 2 yesterday, four and a half years after it was announced and six years after Microsoft bought the studio and brought it into the Xbox Game Studios fold.

Yesterday, a day before the release, Ninja Theory studio head Dom Matthews released a heartfelt statement to fans. In it, he thanked them for their support, as well as the development team for their work on Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2.

Some have expressed concern about Ninja Theory. Especially after Microsoft shocked the video game world by announcing the closure of several Bethesda studios. Among them are Tango Gameworks, developer of Hi-Fi Rush, and Arkane Austin, developer of Redfall. The layoffs are part of sweeping layoffs announced earlier this year affecting 1,900 employees in Microsoft’s gaming business.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has indicated that Microsoft’s gaming cutbacks amid rising development costs are not the result of a growing video game market.

However, Spencer and other Xbox executives are also reportedly under pressure to make layoffs following the company’s $69 billion acquisition of Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard.

In an e-mail sent to employees by Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty, Microsoft explained the Bethesda cuts as a “reprioritization of titles and resources.” In the e-mail, Booty said: “We are making these tough decisions to create capacity to increase investment in other parts of our portfolio and focus on our priority games.”

Earlier this month, Xbox president Sarah Bond responded to questions about Microsoft’s decision to close several famous studios. She insisted that the Xbox business would remain healthy for the long term during what she called “this moment of transition.”

Microsoft is holding an Xbox launch event in June. The next mainline Call of Duty game, Black Ops 6, can be fully revealed there.

Source: Windows Central