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Hellblade 2was a title that a lot of gamers were excited about. The game was also the first installment in the series since the studio’s acquisition by Xbox Game Studios in 2018.
It was a visual delight and incredibly cinematic to witness. However, despite releasing day one on Xbox Game Pass, the game failed to reach the level of success in sales and engagement that passionate Xbox fans expected.
Circana Video Game Industry Advisor Shares Data About Hellblade 2’s Reception
In 2024, Xbox needed a title to facilitate its Hail Mary pass toward saving itself. WhenHellblade 2was announced, fans were incredibly excited, but the Unreal Engine 5 visuals and incredible cinematic brilliance didn’t help the game’s sales and engagement too much.
“Breathing Room” for Xbox Games: Fewer Releases, More Focus on First-Party Titles Promised as Xbox Chief Looks to Build on the Likes of Starfield and Hellblade 2
According to Mat Piscatella, video game advisor at Circana,Hellblade 2only placed 37th overall for May 2024 in terms of video game sales:
Something worth noting is that the game couldn’t secure a spot in the top 10 or even the top 20 in terms of Xbox Series X|S sales numbers.
Apart from individual sales,Hellblade 2‘s Xbox Game Pass engagement numbers were objectively better:
The game also outranked games likeStar Wars Jedi Survivor, which was recently added to Game Pass, as well asApex Legends, andForza Horizon 5:
While it seems logical for a single-player game, (also a day one Xbox Game Pass title with only a 7-9 hour playthrough,) to perform this way in terms of sales, the figures might indicate the downsides to Xbox’s approach to exclusives.
Even After a Game Like Hellblade 2, Xbox Cannot Seem to Crack the Code
Ninja Theory’s latest was rated well by reviewers. Readers can alsocheck out our review to learn moreabout our verdict on the title. 87% of Player reviews on Steam are alsopositive.
“They’ll close the studio…”: Hellblade 2’s Dreadful Sales Performance May Push Xbox to Do the Unthinkable on 2024’s Most Iconic First Party Title
So, it seems like critics and players who genuinely played the game found it enjoyable. Surprisingly, though, the game didn’t sell as well as it should have. Is it that Xbox’s previous exclusives likeCrackdown 3andRedfallhave convinced people that no first-party exclusives from the company are worth their time and money?
It is a possibility. Sales and user reception are heavily influenced by market sentiment. It is common knowledge that Xbox’s state in the current generation of consoles isn’t pleasant by any metric whatsoever.
This means the market sentiment for anything except Xbox Game Pass isn’t favorable and even then,the subscription service is ‘steady’ with no growth. It seems like Xbox lost gamers long ago, and this is the result. Do you think upcoming exclusives that look promising will be able to save the company? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Sparsh Jaimini
Gaming Writer
Articles Published :518
Sparsh Jaimini Sharma is a video games enthusiast and a Games Writer. A true white-blooded Madridsta. He is often seen grinding away at EAFC 24’s Ultimate team and learning to code when he is not writing. A Batman fan and Arkham Games connoisseur. He is the quintessential DC aficionado.
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Hellblade 2Ninja Theory
