What the hell is going on with Hellblade 2 on Steam? Why is it so low on charts?

cowbanana · Friday at 9:47 AM

Zero marketing, high system requirements, first game had very so-so gameplay. It's basically a very expensive-to-play slow-walking simulator.

The only reason I'm even interested in buying it because of the graphics, performance capture etc. I'm not at all looking forward to the actual gamplay... which is troubling for a video game I'd say.

It's basically going to be a graphics demo on my RTX 4070 Ti Super, a €50 graphics demo...

It will probably also be 50% OFF in autumn.

Xbox pushed this hard at the beginning of the gen. Because they had to show they meant business with high-end graphics and this became the poster child for that. It just took them too long to get the game out.

Starlightmuse · Friday at 9:47 AM

WhtR88t said:
lol what?

I feel like they've been promoting it at every Xbox showcase since the launch of the Series X 3.5 years ago?

That's the point, they even revealed the next gen of consoles with the game and now that its two weeks away from coming out its not getting any marketing at all. Just wild.

Fantastical · Friday at 9:47 AM

Its fate was sealed when it was revealed it was a shorter $40 experience, closer to the first game than many were thinking, unfortunately. 5-6 years to make that is bound to be a disaster. Hopefully it reviews really well.

EDIT: Sorry $50

egg · Friday at 9:48 AM

WhtR88t said:
lol what?

I feel like they've been promoting it at every Xbox showcase since the launch of the Series X 3.5 years ago?

You're proving the point lol 😭.

Kinguss · Friday at 9:48 AM

Never bothered to finish the first game since I found it pretty boring so I can't say I have much interest in this one, also I'm growing kinda tired of all the demanding pc games lately, not everyone can afford to spend $2000 on a 4090 you know

WhtR88t · Friday at 9:49 AM

egg said:
You're proving the point lol 😭.

The point that they actually have been marketing it consistently for the past 3.5 years?

VanDoughnut · Friday at 9:49 AM

It's a story game without a good story hook?

Like what is this journey, what's the goal, who is Senua? Where is the intrigue?

The whole "she has psychosis" is not really a hook. It's not clear where this sequel is taking her or why we should care. I played the first one and being this close to release and not knowing what the sequel wants to do this far out is kinda crazy.

mrqs · Friday at 9:49 AM

Maybe the game just doesn't look that appealing.

Pai Pai Master · Friday at 9:50 AM

WhtR88t said:
The point that they actually have been marketing it consistently for the past 3.5 years?

Xbox showcases are not major marketing campaigns. Look at what Sony does for launches like Spider-Man 2 or God of War Ragnarok.

There's a massive audience outside of people who watch showcases that they're barely trying to reach.

Starlightmuse · Friday at 9:50 AM

WhtR88t said:
The point that they actually have been marketing it consistently for the past 3.5 years?

In what world is this game being marketed right now when all it has had in the last month has been a barebones tweet and a couple of videos lol
And most of it its coming from Ninja Theory themselves, not from Xbox

egg · Friday at 9:51 AM

WhtR88t said:
The point that they actually have been marketing it consistently for the past 3.5 years?

The game comes out in 12 days and the most recent point of memory for you was the Xbox showcase which the last one was June 11th, 2023....

Brazil · Friday at 9:51 AM

WhtR88t said:
The point that they actually have been marketing it consistently for the past 3.5 years?

You seem to be under the impression that showing a game during presentations that only the biggest Xbox fans watch is enough marketing to sell a game? That's not how any of this works at all.

bes.gen · Friday at 9:52 AM

Fantastical said:
Its fate was sealed when it was revealed it was a shorter $40 experience, closer to the first game than many were thinking, unfortunately. 5-6 years to make that is bound to be a disaster. Hopefully it reviews really well.

EDIT: Sorry $50

yeah its $50 lol
i guess microsoft is still doing some "experiments".
$30 price tag was the main selling point of the first game.

Celestial Descend · Friday at 9:52 AM

Azuos said:
That's just not true, the game was very well received within the gaming community. It's sitting at 90%(!!!) on steam, with over 50k reviews.

I don't know what bubble you guys live, honestly. Sure, nobody seems to care about the sequel, but to say the first game was not that well received is one hell of a take.

You get 90% positive on Steam for having decent graphics and good framerate. Safe to say it didn't leave a lasting impression on people.

DontHateTheBacon · Friday at 9:52 AM

Gavalanche said:
As others have said, marketing isn't great. Its also a linear smaller game on gamepass. And I hate to say it, but the way they talk about it I don't think inspires peope to rush out and buy it.

It just has a lot going against it.

You're right that it's a linear, smaller game on Game Pass, but it is also THE game that Microsoft chose to pair with the announcement of the Series X.

That comes with expectations, and they should know that.

PlanetSmasher · Friday at 9:52 AM

WhtR88t said:
The point that they actually have been marketing it consistently for the past 3.5 years?

Honestly, the fact they've been showing it at Xbox fanboy events over and over again, but even Xbox fans don't even care about it that much, is almost more damning than anything else.

Honestly, it feels like a game intended for no one. If even your diehard fans can't figure out a way to be hyped for it, what does that say about the game?

WhtR88t · Friday at 9:53 AM

egg said:
The game comes out in 12 days and the most recent point of memory for you was the Xbox showcase which the last one was June 11th, 2023....

They just had a big promo/hands on stuff featured from Microsoft like a month ago? PLUS it's been in showcases.

Its not lack of marketing.

EvaUnit787 · Friday at 9:55 AM

This game is clearly being sent to die. Why?

thediamondage · Friday at 9:55 AM

Its the equivalent of an art house movie in game form. Popular with critics and some gamers but nowhere near mainstream appeal.

The first game took a year to hit 1 million sales.

There is absolutely a place for these kind of games and I assume its budgeted correctly but I think everyone here knows the fear: this will not sell or do much to move gamepass subs so Microsoft will shut down the studio. And that is an extremely valid fear now.

It probably will not sell enough in the first 30 days to recoup dev costs, the only question none of us know is whether it will do "well enough" on gamepass to justify keeping the studio around, and who even knows what the metrics for that is anymore. I doubt its installed or people who play in the first 24 hours, its more likely how many new gamepass subs buy/trial gamepass and then immediately install Hellblade 2 and I don't see this as a game moving that needle much either. Like it or not, Fallout is the series that is doing that work right now especially with the recent announcement that Fallout has been far and away the biggest success for Amazon Prime... ever.

DeathyG · Friday at 9:56 AM

Xbox was a different company when they announced this game, that's for sure. It was a great reveal and it seemed like Ninja Theory was finally getting the red carpet treatment.

Seeing it treated this way is sad as hell for the devs.

CloseTalker · Friday at 9:57 AM

I think marketing hasn't really started yet, but even when it does I'm not sure it's the kind of game to reach the top of the best sellers list. I really feel like lots of people were deflated to hear it was the same structure and length as the original. Such a long dev cycle and Microsoft pouring so much money and resources into it, I think many people (including myself) were under the impression this was breaking out into a much bigger experience.

Knowing what this game will actually be, I'm blown away it was allowed to take this long and become this expensive.

Reckheim · Friday at 9:57 AM

EvaUnit787 said:
This game is clearly being sent to die. Why?

What else would you do with it? you have to release it eventually.

For the type of game it is; I think its even being over-marketed.

Thorrgal · Friday at 9:57 AM

Duxxy3 said:
20 people worked on the game. Hellblade 2's team is about double that.

It's also likely that it sold considerably more than 1 million units. Steamspy has a larger number and that doesn't include Xbox or Playstation sales. And once again that's with a staff of 20 people.

The second game should be very profitable, but it won't light the world on fire.

Isn't like 80 people? And not way is going to be very profitable, who is going to buy it on Xbox? The target market of the game already has access to it via Gamepass.

Doctor Doggo · Friday at 9:58 AM

WhtR88t said:
The point that they actually have been marketing it consistently for the past 3.5 years?

Except the vast majority of the public is not watching the showcases. Sure, the showcases help get the word out, through the press is creates, but Microsoft really has not pushed it, outside of them. Honestly fearful of the future of Ninja Theory.

Minthara · Friday at 9:59 AM

PlanetSmasher said:
Honestly, the fact they've been showing it at Xbox fanboy events over and over again, but even Xbox fans don't even care about it that much, is almost more damning than anything else.

Honestly, it feels like a game intended for no one. If even your diehard fans can't figure out a way to be hyped for it, what does that say about the game?

The game also WAS marketed to the gaming mass public via stuff like the Game Awards, multiple times even!

It's pretty clear at this point that even that was unable to gain the game much, if any, traction.

EvaUnit787 said:
This game is clearly being sent to die. Why?

People just aren't all that interested.

Darksaber_73 · Friday at 9:59 AM

I liked the first one a lot, it was really something witness such delicate/intimate themes being handled so well.
If somehow the sequel finds it's way to the PS5 i will end up buying it asap.

I found baffling that after years of being depicted as the technical flaghip SX title now it is basically sent to die.

keyrodi · Friday at 10:00 AM

WhtR88t said:
They just had a big promo/hands on stuff featured from Microsoft like a month ago? PLUS it's been in showcases.

Its not lack of marketing.

Do you think marketing lives and dies on just tentpole events only geeks watch?

When people say "no marketing," they're referring to ads, billboards, commercials, etc. Us nerds may block all that stuff, but the general public consumes advertisements at scale.

Ash_Greytree · Friday at 10:00 AM

The game is being marketed. Greenberg replied to his tweet, the tweet that multiple people have shared here, with another tweet showing where the marketing is, and where the marketing is going to go from there.

View: https://www.twitter.com/aarongreenberg/status/1788369899729133683

Our global paid media campaign started yesterday across YouTube, HBO/Max, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit (In-feed promoted posts), Search, and Samsung. Our special Iceland creator event is happening now including hands on with the game. Will keep folks posted as more drops like Cinema, Out of home, brand partnerships, endemic/gaming site takeovers, Spotify, Amazon Streaming/Fire TV, new paid IG, FB, social, and much more on the road to launch!

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II - Wishlist Now Trailer

The sequel to the award winning Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Senua returns in a brutal journey of survival through the myth and torment of Viking Iceland. I...

www.youtube.com

Minthara · Friday at 10:01 AM

keyrodi said:
Do you think marketing lives and dies on just tentpole events only geeks watch?

When people say "no marketing," they're referring to ads, billboards, commercials, etc. Us nerds may block all that stuff, but the general public consumes advertisements at scale.

You generally don't massively invest in that stuff if even your hardcore aren't all that interested.

That shit is expensive.

CloseTalker · Friday at 10:01 AM

People thinking Hellblade 2 is a "put on a billboard" game are out to lunch lol. Would be a waste of marketing spend

keyrodi · Friday at 10:03 AM

Ash_Greytree said:
...

So they kicked off the marketing campaign last week? That seems late. I wonder if that's typical because it feels like it isn't. Open to accepting I'm being ignorant in this case.

Garulon · Friday at 10:03 AM

thediamondage said:
It probably will not sell enough in the first 30 days to recoup dev costs

Oh if only there was some way to find out before having an opinion

Let's try wikipedia!

Ninja Theory - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

"As a result, the team put forward the notion of the "independent AAA proposition" where the title would have a smaller budget and lower price point while retaining AAA production values. The developer would communicate directly with the player base without any publisher's help to get players to play early versions of the game and provide feedback. With the success of Hellblade, the company urged other small independent companies wanting to increase the production value of their games to adopt this new business model. "

PlanetSmasher · Friday at 10:03 AM

CloseTalker said:
People thinking Hellblade 2 is a "put on a billboard" game are out to lunch lol. Would be a waste of marketing spend

This is absolutely true. The problem is I'm not really sure there is a valid marketing path for Hellblade 2. I just do not know what the sales pitch for the game even is beyond "GRAPHICS! CINEMATICS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Xeonidus · Friday at 10:03 AM

Ash_Greytree said:
The game is being marketed. Greenberg replied to his tweet, the tweet that multiple people have shared here, with another tweet showing where the marketing is, and where the marketing is going to go from there.

View: https://www.twitter.com/aarongreenberg/status/1788369899729133683

So.... it is being marketed but either people don't really care or the marketing is not effective.

keyrodi · Friday at 10:04 AM

Minthara said:
You generally don't massively invest in that stuff if even your hardcore aren't all that interested.

That shit is expensive.

I'll take your word for it, for sure. It simply means the game is going to not do well, which is a shame.

Shard Shinjuku · Friday at 10:04 AM

Pray for Ninja Theory.

Denamitea · Friday at 10:05 AM

ZangBa said:
I'm going to go against the grain a bit and say it has less to do with the lack of marketing but instead, the game is just painfully uninteresting, unnecessary and irrelevant.

Pretty shitty thing to say tbh

seroun · Friday at 10:05 AM

Bad marketing. Still haven't seen 0 ads for Hellbade 2 even if I have talked about it in social media. Nothing on stores either at least in my region. Xbox is well known for poor marketing here though

Azuos · Friday at 10:06 AM

ZangBa said:
I'm going to go against the grain a bit and say it has less to do with the lack of marketing but instead, the game is just painfully uninteresting, unnecessary and irrelevant.

God, I hate some people here. How you can say that about any game?

A game about mental health is unnecessary, jesus.

orochi91 · Friday at 10:08 AM

Compare the marketing push between Stellar Blade and Hellblade 2

Sony went hard in marketing that game, it was literally everywhere right up to release day.

Maybe HB2 would benefit from a demo as well?

CloseTalker · Friday at 10:09 AM

Xeonidus said:
So.... it is being marketed but either people don't really care or the marketing is not effective.

Or people here just don't really understand how strategic marketing works, and think if they don't see a commercial during NBA games the game isn't being marketed.

Edit to be clear, I'm not saying that Hellblade 2 is being marketed as well as it could be, but some of the posts here (billboards lol) are a bit silly.

orochi91 said:
Compare the marketing push between Stellar Blade and Hellblade 2

Sony went hard in marketing that game, it was literally everywhere right up to release day.

Maybe HB2 would benefit from a demo as well?

While I don't think Hellblade 2 would benefit from a demo (it might actually hurt the game's chances in the broadest market), I agree that Stellar Blade was marketed very well for the kind of game it was

Neuromancer · Friday at 10:10 AM

I can't speak for everyone but while I enjoyed the story of the first game I found it way too hard, especially towards the end. I was barely able to finish it.

It sounds like the new one will be even tougher:

"Senua isn't a superhero, she's fighting for survival, and we want the player to feel her struggle in every step of her journey. We want the player to always feel like they just scraped through, just survived it." -VFX director Mark Slater-Tunstill

Hellblade 2's "brutal" combat should make you feel the hero's "struggle in every step of her journey"

"It does feel very different from the first game"

www.gamesradar.com

For that reason (which 30fps on Xbox Series X will be no help with), I'm out.

Tbm24 · Friday at 10:10 AM

Azuos said:
God, I hate some people here. How you can say that about any game?

A game about mental health is unnecessary, jesus.

It's no different than the folks who criticize games they don't like by calling them soulless. Just garbage rhetoric all around.

orochi91 said:
Compare the marketing push between Stellar Blade and Hellblade 2

Sony went hard in marketing that game, it was literally everywhere right up to release day.

Maybe HB2 would benefit from a demo as well?

Those two games have wildly different prospective audiences.

Zealuu · Friday at 10:10 AM

Pretty niche game, isn't it? But also probably being sent out to die so Microsoft can shut down Ninja Theory

GreenKing1979 · Friday at 10:10 AM

Hellblade 2 will probably get more publicity than it gets on Steam and Xbox, by simply coming to PS5.

Reckheim · Friday at 10:11 AM

orochi91 said:
Compare the marketing push between Stellar Blade and Hellblade 2

Sony went hard in marketing that game, it was literally everywhere right up to release day.

Maybe HB2 would benefit from a demo as well?

two completely different types of games.

also how are you gonna do a demo for a 6-8 hour game?

Z-Brownie · Friday at 10:12 AM

I guess it's because of gamepass

Noctis Winters · Friday at 10:13 AM

Ash_Greytree said:
The game is being marketed. Greenberg replied to his tweet, the tweet that multiple people have shared here, with another tweet showing where the marketing is, and where the marketing is going to go from there.

View: https://www.twitter.com/aarongreenberg/status/1788369899729133683

This is so strange to me.

This isn't marketing - This is him telling us how they are supposedly marketing the game, I'm assuming in response to people wondering why they are seemingly doing the bare minimum marketing .

I know it's anecdotal and others have said all of this ITT- but:
As someone who listens to three gaming centric podcasts weekly (One PlayStation centric that deep discusses Xbox news too and two others that are decidedly multiplatform / platform agnostic), frequents this site and follows a good few gaming YT channels - I am quite surprised to learn the game is out in less than two weeks. And I only found that out after reading about 30 pages in the "Xbox closing tango etc" thread.

Not that I think access journalism is a good thing - but those traditional sources of info for imminently released games (podcast previews, YT coverage, IRL adverts) that is essentially marketing do not seem to have been engaged to do anything to promote HB. Until this week. Which seems like the opposite of most new releases I can remember from the last 2 years or so.

When MANY, many users on a forum such as this didn't even KNOW the game was releasing in <2 weeks you've already fucked up the marketing. IMO.

Duxxy3 · Friday at 10:13 AM

Thorrgal said:
Isn't like 80 people? And not way is going to be very profitable, who is going to buy it on Xbox? The target market of the game already has access to it via Gamepass.

The first game was profitable at 500k sales. 1 million sales between Xbox and PC shouldn't be too hard. There's already talk about a PS5 port (which shouldn't take long, considering Ninja Theory's background).

cowbanana · Friday at 10:13 AM

orochi91 said:
Compare the marketing push between Stellar Blade and Hellblade 2

Sony went hard in marketing that game, it was literally everywhere right up to release day.

Maybe HB2 would benefit from a demo as well?

It is infinitely easier to market a game with a good, flashy combat system. Then throw out a demo for people to sample it for themselves.

We have actually seen very little raw gameplay from Hellblade II, and there's probably a reason for that... also no demo, because that would probably scare away more people than it would win over. And this is from someone who will probably buy the game on Steam around launch, barring disastrous reviews.

What the hell is going on with Hellblade 2 on Steam? Why is it so low on charts?

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