Hellblade Studio Ninja Theory Has Officially Canceled Experimental Horror Game Project Mara
Overview & Key Takeaways
Hellblade studio Ninja Theory announced its next project, an action-adventure game called Senua, set in the Hellblade universe, at yesterday's 2026 Summer Xbox Games Showcase. In a new interview posted on the Xbox Wire blog about Senua, studio head Dom Matthews has revealed that the experimental horror game Project Mara, announced in 2020, has been canceled.
In the interview, Matthews explains that smaller teams at Ninja Theory worked on the first two Hellblade games, but notes that the entire studio is working on Senua. And if everyone is working on Senua, nobody is working on Project Mara, something Matthews immediately addresses.
"And with the fact that we have the entire team working on this game, I suspect some people might ask what's happened to Project Mara [a previously announced horror title] – I took the decision to not work on that any further," Matthews says in the interview. "These decisions are never easy, but I did so to take the opportunity to have all the talent and expertise in the studio, all 85 creatives, working together to realize the potential of what Senua can be."
This isn't necessarily surprising – since that 2020 reveal, we've heard basically nothing about Project Mara – but it's nice to have the official confirmation, so those who might have been excited about it won't wait around for something that was never going to appear.
For more, read Game Informer's round-up of every announcement from the 2026 Summer Xbox Games Showcase, and then read our reviews for Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice and Senua's Saga: Hellblade II.
What did you think of the Senua reveal? Let us know in the comments below!
Hellblade studio Ninja Theory announced its next project, an action-adventure game called Senua, set in the Hellblade universe, at yesterday's 2026 Summer Xbox Games Showcase. In a new interview posted on the Xbox Wire blog about Senua, studio head Dom Matthews has revealed that the experimental horror game Project Mara, announced in 2020, has been canceled.
In the interview, Matthews explains that smaller teams at Ninja Theory worked on the first two Hellblade games, but notes that the entire studio is working on Senua. And if everyone is working on Senua, nobody is working on Project Mara, something Matthews immediately addresses.
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"And with the fact that we have the entire team working on this game, I suspect some people might ask what's happened to Project Mara [a previously announced horror title] – I took the decision to not work on that any further," Matthews says in the interview. "These decisions are never easy, but I did so to take the opportunity to have all the talent and expertise in the studio, all 85 creatives, working together to realize the potential of what Senua can be."
This isn't necessarily surprising – since that 2020 reveal, we've heard basically nothing about Project Mara – but it's nice to have the official confirmation, so those who might have been excited about it won't wait around for something that was never going to appear.
For more, read Game Informer's round-up of every announcement from the 2026 Summer Xbox Games Showcase, and then read our reviews for Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice and Senua's Saga: Hellblade II.
What did you think of the Senua reveal? Let us know in the comments below!
