Development studio Ninja Theory is reportedly working on a third Hellblade game, but it has come at the expense of another title. Ninja Theory's latest release, from 2024, is the well-received Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, a direct sequel to 2017's Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. Even before Hellblade 2 came out, however, the developer teased an ambitious new horror game with the working title Project: MARA.
According to Jez Corden on the Xbox Two podcast on YouTube (via GameWatcher), Project: MARA has been put on ice, and Ninja Theory is now moving ahead with Hellblade 3. Corden claims Project: MARA was "just a concept" that Ninja Theory was working on, and "it might be something [Ninja Theory] works on eventually, but [...] is not a game that's currently being worked on." From what has been heard from those familiar with the projects, Ninja Theory's "next game is Hellblade 3."
Project: MARA's rumored cancellation remains officially unconfirmed; Ninja Theory has not addressed the matter. Corden's assertion that Project: MARA is no more than a concept, that "it's not a game," does raise some questions. Project: MARA was announced in 2020 with a teaser trailer, which was later followed by a development diary...
