In a move that may divide gamers, Ninja Theory has confirmed that the highly anticipated Hellblade 2: Senua’s Saga will be locked to 30 frames per second on Xbox Series X/S consoles. This decision prioritizes a “cinematic” experience over higher framerates, according to the game’s VFX director Mark Slater-Tunstill.
Speaking to German outlet GamePro, Slater-Tunstill revealed that Hellblade 2 will render at a dynamic resolution on Microsoft’s latest consoles, with no graphics modes or options to boost performance. The slower, weightier combat was cited as justification for the 30fps cap, with the reviewer noting the reduced framerate wasn’t an issue.
However, this locks one of Xbox’s marquee exclusives below the increasingly standard 60fps experience on consoles. It follows Bethesda’s divisive decision to limit Starfield to 30fps on Xbox. The limitations of the Xbox Series S hardware may have been a driving factor.
Interestingly, Slater-Tunstill’s comments came amid news that Ninja Theory co-founder and former Hellblade creative lead Tameem Antoniades has parted ways with the studio. An Xbox spokesperson confirmed the departure but provided no further details.
Antoniades helped shape Hellblade 2’s early development after writing and directing the original cult hit. However, the sequel is now being spearheaded by environment art director Dan Attwell, Slater-Tunstill, and audio director David Garcia.
Despite the framerate compromise, Hellblade 2 is shaping up to be a major technical showcase. Built exclusively for Xbox and PC using Unreal Engine 5, the game has been praised by Polygon for its “hyper-realistic” visuals achieved through motion-captured animations, meticulously scanned props/costumes, and landscapes mapped from Iceland.
With its May 21st release rapidly approaching, Xbox will be hoping Hellblade 2’s cinematic pedigree and next-gen graphics help offset potential backlash over the lack of a 60fps performance option. The jury is still out on whether this bold creative decision will leave players enthralled or simply frustrated.
