Ninja Principle has introduced that Project Mara, its experimental horror recreation, has been cancelled.
Senua, the third recreation in Ninja Principle’s Hellblade sequence, was one of many shock bulletins popping out of Xbox Video games Showcase 2026. However with the emergence of Senua comes affirmation that the Microsoft-owned studio’s different recreation is useless.
In a brand new Xbox Wire submit discussing the announcement of Senua, Ninja Principle studio head Dom Matthews addressed the destiny of Project Mara.
“With the truth that we’ve got the whole crew engaged on [Senua], I believe some individuals would possibly ask what’s occurred to Project Mara,” mentioned Matthews. “I took the choice to not work on that any additional. These selections are by no means straightforward, however I did so to take the chance to have the entire expertise and experience within the studio, all 85 creatives, working collectively to understand the potential of what Senua could be.”
Senua marks the primary time that the whole Ninja Principle employees roster has labored on the identical undertaking since 2013’s DmC: Satan Might Cry. In consequence, the developer is making a extra expansive, gameplay-driven tackle the Hellblade sequence, however that required sacrificing its extra experimental recreation.
Project Mara was introduced again in January 2020, at a time when Ninja Principle was additionally engaged on each Hellblade 2 and its ill-fated multiplayer brawler, Bleeding Edge. The undertaking was described as a “real-world and grounded illustration of psychological terror. Based mostly on actual lived expertise accounts and in-depth analysis, the purpose is to recreate the horrors of the thoughts as precisely and realistically as doable. Project: Mara might be an experimental title and a showcase of what might develop into a brand new storytelling medium.” It was deliberate to happen in a deeply detailed, photo-realistic house.
Whereas Project Mara will not see the sunshine of day, Senua will see Ninja Principle proceed its exploration of psychological well being and the horrors of the thoughts. Psychosis was a basic a part of the Hellblade video games, and the brand new trailer nonetheless options the whispering voices in Senua’s head. Matthews additionally confirmed that Senua will characteristic acquainted “themes.”
Ninja Principle’s cancelling of Project Mara confirms earlier rumours, which had additionally claimed a brand new Hellblade was in improvement – all of which has now been confirmed true. For all of Microsoft’s bulletins, you should definitely meet up with every little thing introduced at Xbox Showcase 2026, together with our greatest look but at Fable and extra.
Matt Purslow is IGN’s Govt Editor of Options.