Hellblade studio Ninja Theory has started laying off staff, following Xbox’s announcement that it faces closure
Two separate agreements with the studio “fell through”, Microsoft said
A number of developers from Hellblade studio Ninja Theory have started announcing that they are either being laid off or face redundancy.
Last month Xbox enacted the second wave of planned cuts as part of its business ‘reset’, a move which led to a further 268 layoffs on top of the 1,600 in the first wave.
In a statement announcing the cuts, Xbox COO Matt Booty also noted that an agreement couldn’t be made to keep Ninja Theory open or to let it go independent, and that it faced being shut down as a result.
“Unfortunately, two separate agreements for Ninja Theory fell through,” Booty said last month. “We will now begin consultation with employees on a proposed closure while continuing to explore other paths forward.”
It would now appear – as initially spotted by journalist Chris Kerr and verified by VGC – that the results of these consultations have started coming through, with some Ninja Theory employees stating on LinkedIn that they were either facing redundancy or have already lost their jobs.
Alessio Mellina (technical sound designer), Katrin Mair (gameplay programmer), Xoe Subari (PCap tech staff), Loong-Wei Ding (technical director), Matteo Tummino (sound designer), Matt Le-Fevre (senior technical artist), Pietro Berto (character artist), Justin Pedersen (technical artist) and Daniele Galante (principal sound designer) are among those who have confirmed their jobs are at risk or have ended.
“After four years, it’s hard to put into words how much this place and the people in it have meant to me,” gameplay programmer Katrin Mair wrote. “I’ve learned an incredible amount, grown so much as a programmer, and had the chance to work with some genuinely brilliant people.
“What I’ll remember most is how much people cared. About the work, about the details, and about each other. I feel very lucky that this was the place where I got to start my career and grow into the programmer I am today.
“It’s incredibly sad knowing that we won’t get to finish what we were working on. 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.”
The fate of Senua, the third game in the Hellblade series, has not yet been officially confirmed, but is now considered uncertain. The game was announced during the Xbox Games Showcase in June 2026, with a release set for 2027.
It was later reported by Game File that Xbox was already planning to sell Ninja Theory at this point and was using the Senua trailer to attract attention from possible buyers, a plan that doesn’t appear to have resulted in a sale.
