In Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice we set out to tell the story of a Celtic Warrior and her quest to save the soul of her lover – a quest that was both physical and mental, as an exploration of Senua’s experiences of psychosis.
On embarking on the development of Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, we knew it would be critical that we understand in depth the subject matter before attempting to portray it. To gain an understanding of psychosis and what it can be like to experience it, we began what has become a close collaboration with experts by way of research and by way of lived-experience.
In the field of Neuroscience, Professor Paul Fletcher of the University of Cambridge has now been a close collaborator of the team for over 10 years. On the subject of lived-experience, we have partnered with the RCE Wellbeing Hub (formerly Recovery College East) to understand directly from people the impact psychosis and the attached stigma can have on people’s lives.
In Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, we explore the next chapter of Senua’s life and the next step on her mental health journey. While she has come to a place of acceptance with the voices she hears and the way she perceives the world, she is no longer alone on her quest. She will meet people in Iceland with their own belief systems, who may come to see her unique perspective as a beacon of hope, while others reject it. Just as we did in Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice we have once again worked closely with our expert partners to bring Senua’s experience to life in a truthful way.
We’d like to invite you to hear more about this unique partnership and journey into the mind of Senua in a special live event on Tuesday April 9. This collaboration between Ninja Theory and Cambridge Neuroscience will explore the perspectives of both those who have experienced psychosis, and those who work to study and treat it. You will also hear from the Ninja Theory team who will expand upon how we applied these learnings to our games.
Hosted here in Cambridge, you can tune into the livestream at 14:00 BST / 09:00 ET / 06:00 PT Tuesday April 9 on Twitch, YouTube and Facebook. This collaboration has been a special privilege for us as a studio, which is why we’d love for you to tune in and hear first hand how it has shaped our journey into the mind, with Hellblade.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II launches on Xbox, PC and via Game Pass on May 21.
