Xbox proposed closing the Hellblade developer in September after two separate agreements to sell it fell through

That's according to Game Developer news editor Chris Kerr, who spotted posts from affected staff on LinkedIn.

Xbox said on September 22 that it was proposing the closure of Ninja Theory and beginning a consultation process with employees, after attempts to sell the studio failed. It said "two separate agreements for Ninja Theory fell through" while continuing to "explore other paths forward."

Now IGN reports that gameplay programmer Katrin Mair, who spent four years at the studio, wrote that "it's incredibly sad knowing that we won't get to finish what we were working on. So much care, talent and effort went into it, and I really wish we’d had the chance to see what it could have become."

IGN also lists technical director Loong-Wei Ding and performance capture specialist Xoe Suvari among those affected, while technical sound designer Alessio Mellina, who has spent 12 years at the studio, is at risk of redundancy.

Ninja Theory was working on Senua, the third Hellblade game, which Xbox announced at its June showcase.

In September, Xbox transferred legendary UK studio Rare and ownership of the Halo franchise to Activision and enacted sweeping cuts at Halo Studios, following earlier reports of planned layoffs.

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