New Hellblade Game Already Coming, But Is Just Called “Senua”
Overview & Key Takeaways
During Summer Game Fest, Xbox unveiled what's coming to Microsoft's console in 2026 and the immediate future during its Xbox Game Showcase. Among the announcements was a surprise reveal trailer for the next Hellblade game, which is just called "Senua," instead of Hellblade III.
"The title of just Senua really reflects that this is something fresh and new and different," Ninja Theory studio head Dom Matthews said in an interview for Xbox Wire. "It is a different style of game. I think [Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice] and [Senua's Saga: Hellblade II] had an intention that we delivered on--but this is a different intention. I think of it as being additive--we're taking all of that goodness and adding the types of things that people expect from a premium action-adventure game."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91LAY9B6lUc
Senua seems to be leaning a little bit harder into the "action" part of action-adventure. While Matthews says that the game will still feature a character-driven story and environment-driven puzzles, the team is taking the feedback for Hellblade II into account.
"I did spend a lot of time looking at what players said--you know, user reviews and reading forums--and understanding what people loved and what they’d like more of," Matthews said. "And the resounding feedback there, frankly, was that people loved the presentation, the story, the tone and the atmosphere that we achieved, but they’d just love to be able to engage with Senua at a deeper level, with more gameplay, with more agency, right?"
He continued: "[Senua is] not a combat-action game--people shouldn't expect that this is like two-thirds combat. We're really thinking about it as being a fairly even split between combat, traversal, and puzzle solving. The way I think about it is really about studio potential, looking at our expertise and allowing the team to go and do their best work in this game--and so much of that experience comes from the likes of DmC, Enslaved, and Heavenly Sword as well as the Hellblades."
As seen in the new trailer, protagonist Senua has a bit more tools at her disposal in Senua. Normally only relying on a shortsword, Senua is seen in the trailer wielding a short axe, even dual-wielding it alongside her usual weapon. She also seems to possess more abilities that her mind translates into magic.
"Throughout the journey, Senua develops beliefs and understandings, and that gives her the ability to change her reality," Matthew said. "That manifests in Focus Abilities that the player can use as and when they wish, across traversal, puzzle solving and combat. One of the things that you see in the trailer is her ability to shatter reality. She can do that to unlock spaces in the world, but you can also use it within combat--particularly when there's multiple enemies in the same space--to really do some of that crowd control, buy some time, push some enemies back."
Matthews goes on to talk about how Senua (the game, not the person) will have an interconnected world that's composed of a series of large, explorable spaces, and Senua (the person, not the game) will possess new traversal abilities to better navigate those larger spaces. The game is still a linear story though, so it's not an open world adventure game or a metroidvania. The whole experience sounds most akin to something like God of War or God of War Ragnarök, but smaller in scope.
"This game takes place after the events of both Hellblade I and Hellblade II--and it's set in Purgatory," Matthews said. "It's Senua's vision of purgatory, which is a vision of her childhood homeland. So in one sense she's returning home. She's trapped between life and death on a quest to reach the afterlife and be reunited with the ones that she's loved and lost. Her belief is that by healing the wounds of her life, she can find the peace that is the key that unlocks the gate to the afterlife."
Senua is set to launch in 2027. The game will launch for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC, and be available on Xbox Game Pass on day one.
During Summer Game Fest, Xbox unveiled what’s coming to Microsoft’s console in 2026 and the immediate future during its Xbox Game Showcase. Among the announcements was a surprise reveal trailer for the next Hellblade game, which is just called “Senua,” instead of Hellblade III.
“The title of just Senua really reflects that this is something fresh and new and different,” Ninja Theory studio head Dom Matthews said in an interview for Xbox Wire. “It is a different style of game. I think [Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice] and [Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II] had an intention that we delivered on–but this is a different intention. I think of it as being additive–we’re taking all of that goodness and adding the types of things that people expect from a premium action-adventure game.”
VIDEO
Senua seems to be leaning a little bit harder into the “action” part of action-adventure. While Matthews says that the game will still feature a character-driven story and environment-driven puzzles, the team is taking the feedback for Hellblade II into account.
“I did spend a lot of time looking at what players said–you know, user reviews and reading forums–and understanding what people loved and what they’d like more of,” Matthews said. “And the resounding feedback there, frankly, was that people loved the presentation, the story, the tone and the atmosphere that we achieved, but they’d just love to be able to engage with Senua at a deeper level, with more gameplay, with more agency, right?”
He continued: “[Senua is] not a combat-action game–people shouldn’t expect that this is like two-thirds combat. We’re really thinking about it as being a fairly even split between combat, traversal, and puzzle solving. The way I think about it is really about studio potential, looking at our expertise and allowing the team to go and do their best work in this game–and so much of that experience comes from the likes of DmC, Enslaved, and Heavenly Sword as well as the Hellblades.”
As seen in the new trailer, protagonist Senua has a bit more tools at her disposal in Senua. Normally only relying on a shortsword, Senua is seen in the trailer wielding a short axe, even dual-wielding it alongside her usual weapon. She also seems to possess more abilities that her mind translates into magic.
“Throughout the journey, Senua develops beliefs and understandings, and that gives her the ability to change her reality,” Matthew said. “That manifests in Focus Abilities that the player can use as and when they wish, across traversal, puzzle solving and combat. One of the things that you see in the trailer is her ability to shatter reality. She can do that to unlock spaces in the world, but you can also use it within combat–particularly when there’s multiple enemies in the same space–to really do some of that crowd control, buy some time, push some enemies back.”
Matthews goes on to talk about how Senua (the game, not the person) will have an interconnected world that’s composed of a series of large, explorable spaces, and Senua (the person, not the game) will possess new traversal abilities to better navigate those larger spaces. The game is still a linear story though, so it’s not an open world adventure game or a metroidvania. The whole experience sounds most akin to something like God of War or God of War Ragnarök, but smaller in scope.
“This game takes place after the events of both Hellblade I and Hellblade II–and it’s set in Purgatory,” Matthews said. “It’s Senua’s vision of purgatory, which is a vision of her childhood homeland. So in one sense she’s returning home. She’s trapped between life and death on a quest to reach the afterlife and be reunited with the ones that she’s loved and lost. Her belief is that by healing the wounds of her life, she can find the peace that is the key that unlocks the gate to the afterlife.”
Senua is set to launch in 2027. The game will launch for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC, and be available on Xbox Game Pass on day one.
