Layoffs have started at Ninja Theory, the UK studio behind Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. On Monday, October 5, a number of its developers posted on LinkedIn that their roles were at risk of redundancy or had already ended, as first spotted by journalist Chris Kerr and verified by Video Games Chronicle.
The posts land two weeks after Xbox’s September 22 restructuring update. In that Xbox Wire post, Matt Booty wrote: “Unfortunately, two separate agreements for Ninja Theory fell through. We will now begin consultation with employees on a proposed closure while continuing to explore other paths forward.”
According to VGC, the staff who have said their jobs are ending or at risk include technical director Loong-Wei Ding, principal sound designer Daniele Galante, gameplay programmer Katrin Mair, senior technical artist Matt Le-Fevre, and several sound, art, and performance-capture specialists.
“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.” Performance capture technician Rachel Kimber, quoted by Kotaku, wrote that “Ninja Theory has been some of the best years of my life, but sadly it is time to say goodbye.”
The big open question is Senua, the third Hellblade game, which was revealed at the Xbox Games Showcase in June 2026 with a 2027 release target. Neither Xbox nor Ninja Theory has said what happens to it. Game File previously reported that Xbox was already planning to sell the studio when Senua was announced, and that sale never materialized.
Ninja Theory was acquired by Xbox in 2018. It was one of four studios Xbox set out to divest this year. Booty wrote that Double Fine and Compulsion Games returned to independent management in August with their IP, back catalogs, and runway funding, and that Undead Labs completed a similar move with a new publisher for State of Decay 3. Ninja Theory is the one where no deal held. Xbox has not announced a final decision on closing the studio, and Booty’s statement still mentions “other paths forward.”
For the wider picture, read RCG’s report on Xbox’s 268 job cuts, Halo’s move to Activision, and the proposed Ninja Theory closure.
