Ninja Theory has announced today that the psychological horror adventure Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice has passed 500,000 sales, reaching the profitability point and staying well above the initial expectations of the company. The game, developed independently by the studio, was released this past August for PS4, and PC, and it stood out for its high production values and its refreshing take on the horror genre, portraying a character that suffers severe psychological issues, in an attempt to draw attention to mental illnesses.
The final development diary released today shows footage of the release day as well as interviews with the developers, in which they explain all the details concerning the initial reaction from the public and critics, the controversial perma-death feature, and their hope that the game would be taken as a respectful portrayal of psychological issues.
One of the financial goals of the project was to prove that there was space in the market for a title that would have the quality of the AAA production sold digitally at a lower price, in which the studio could retain complete creative ownership. Thankfully, sales rewarded their pioneer approach to independent releases, with the revenue staying well above expectations from the launch day. Currently the game has reached 500,000 sales and reached profitability in only three months, which the studio originally expected to happen nine months after release.
Hellblade is available now for PS4 and PC. Watch the final development diary below.
