Ninja Theory has finally shared more details about the hotly anticipated Hellblade II.
Announced all the way back at The Game Awards in 2019 right with the reveal of the Series X itself the game will be out on Xbox Series S|X and PC on May 21st 2024 and will also be a day-one GamePass title.
The game will be a short experience it will cost £50 instead of the now usual £70 but that’s where the good news ends.
In a blow for game ownership and preservation Hellblade II will not be getting a physical release and is following in Alan Wake II’s footsteps and going digital-only.
Developer Ninja Theory claims the lack of physical release gives them the freedom to charge less for the game however there are plenty of physical games that release at the £50 price point.
The lower price is because the game is short and they know customers will not pay premium price for a short game.
The digital only release of a first party Xbox game does give the rumoured digital only Series X mid-gen update more credibility though as more first party Xbox games may chose to skip the physical market.
Not that most people that play it will buy it anyway as it will be on GamePass from day one.
Are you still planning on buying Hellblade II now it’s won’t be getting a disc release?
It was bad enough that I own the first game on PlayStation 4 and its sequel is an Xbox exclusive but for me no physical version means the game is a hard pass which a shame as I enjoyed the first game very much.
My thoughts exactly. Having a physical copy of a game does not mean you’ll be able to play it in ten years. It’s quite different from other types of physical media in that regard.
So this is kind of a non-story.