‘This is an opportunity for us to jump years head’
Microsoft dropped a huge bombshell during its E3 conference yesterday. Not content to just sit around and let the Xbox One flounder, MS took initiative and bought a couple of notable game developers along with creating a brand new company. While a few of those devs were basically Microsoft companies (their past projects had only been on Xbox consoles), Ninja Theory’s acquisition seemed completely out of left field.
Just last year, they released Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice in an effort to prove that big publishers weren’t necessary for creating “AAA” games. How would signing up with Microsoft be different from Ninja Theory’s past? In an effort to address fan concern, Ninja Theory has uploaded a short video explaining why they believe the decision was in the best interest for the company.
The biggest takeaway is that Ninja Theory firmly believes it will retain all of the creative freedom it once had. While people will be quick to point to Rare as a former rising star that faded under Microsoft’s care, I don’t believe that 2018 MS would be so demanding. Not only are we now seeing Rare games get revived, but Microsoft needs a big push to get the Xbox brand back to its former glory. Running Ninja Theory into the ground doesn’t make any damn sense.
Why Ninja Theory has joined Microsoft Studios [Ninja Theory via YouTube]