When I asked Ninja Theory at the BAFTA Game Awards earlier this year whether there were any plans to bring Hellblade 2: Senua’s Saga to PS5, I was met with a quick laugh alongside a cheeky grin. Fast-forward a couple of months and the studio has now confirmed that a new, enhanced edition of the game will be coming to Sony’s console this summer.
It will be accompanied by improved visuals and several new features, which will also be added to the PC and Xbox versions with a simultaneous update. What these are exactly is yet to be detailed, but it’s clear that Ninja Theory wants to produce what is basically set to be a definitive edition of this harrowing psychological narrative adventure. And the best way to play it will be on PlayStation.
Xbox Exclusives Coming To PlayStation Isn’t A Surprise Anymore
Over the past year, Xbox has been systematically dismantling its approach to exclusive titles as it began to port the likes of Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Grounded, and Sea of Thieves to PS5 with native versions that, in some respects, were superior to their Xbox counterparts. You would see these efforts followed up with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Forza Horizon 5, Age of Mythology Retold, and confirmation of others like Gears of War and Hellblade 2. It is clear that, from this point on, there is no such thing as an Xbox exclusive anymore.
There are still games that have been announced or released as Xbox exclusives in recent years, such as Avowed and Gears of War: E-Day, neither of which is confirmed to receive PS5 versions at the time of writing. But let’s not kid ourselves, they are totally happening.
I said as much already when Fable was delayed to 2026 earlier this year, and how this extra development time will more than likely result in the game coming to PS5, Xbox, and PC at launch with no need to wait six months for the additional porting work to be done. It makes perfect sense, and Microsoft is now in a position where it will want its new games to be in front of as many potential customers as possible instead of needlessly holding back.
The market share held by Xbox pales in comparison to PlayStation and Nintendo, and the bigwigs calling the shots care more about increasing profits than abiding by a console war that is only still being waged in our heads anyway. This competitive animosity only existed and was only ever perpetuated by corporations to bring more eyes onto their console exclusives, so once those cease to exist or serve a purpose, what’s the point in pretending anymore? Hellblade represents the latest in a long line of examples, representing a changing tide in the industry.
And They Are Going To Look And Play Best On Sony Hardware
Xbox Series X is a powerful console, and there is no taking away from how much of a huge technical achievement Hellblade 2: Senua’s Saga truly is. It was one of the first games ever revealed for the platform, and was pitched as our first glimpse into the next generation. The finished product was a relatively underwhelming experience when all is said and done, but I won’t deny that it looks, sounds, and feels incredible. There’s an immense attention to detail in its world design, characters, lip-syncing, and overall approach to animation that few are able to match. And now, thanks to the PS5 Pro, it has more powerful hardware to lean into.
Don’t get me wrong, this will likely only translate into slightly higher performance alongside a somewhat improved resolution and maybe a bespoke ‘enhanced mode’ to choose from, but I think the fact I’m talking about this at all is a massive deal. Microsoft is now in a place where it needs to market games originally developed and released on its own platforms to a major rival who is slowly but surely becoming its ally.
What will be most interesting is how things are perceived once the dust is clear, and we do have titles releasing simultaneously for PS5, Xbox, and PC. How will each version measure up, and where will the marketing focus end up being placed? This will tell us so much about the future company Microsoft will become and if it plans to continue this multi-platform strategy or return to what it used to be.
Hellblade 2: Senua’s Saga coming to PS5 and ultimately being a superior experience on the new platform isn’t surprising anymore. If anything, it’s become a startling facet of normalcy.