Project Mara has been cancelled as Ninja Theory turns its full attention to expanding the Hellblade franchise: "These decisions are never easy"

Ninja Theory has confirmed that development of Project Mara is no longer ongoing, following rumors that the experimental horror project had been abandoned.

Ninja Theory studio head, Dom Matthews, confirmed that the studio behind the Hellblade series has turned its attention elsewhere. "I suspect some people might ask what's happened to Project Mara – I took the decision to not work on that any further. These decisions are never easy, but I did so to take the opportunity to have all of the talent an expertise in the studio, all 85 creatives, working together to realize the potential of what Senua can be," says Matthews, speaking with the Xbox Wire.

This news comes as Ninja Theory announces Senua – a spin-off from the Hellblade series, one with more expansive gameplay and action-adventure roots. With a wider focus on combat, exploration, and puzzle-solving, Ninja Theory is turning its full attention to pushing this surprise Senua adventure to new heights.

"We had smaller teams working on the last two Hellblade games – Hellblade 1 in particular was a team of about 25 people. So this is about taking those 85 people that we have now, which is still a comparatively small team, and building out that experience. We can do more with combat, more with traversal, more with puzzles, and blend all of that gameplay into one. We have that opportunity with all of the talent now available to do so," says Matthews.

Project Mara was announced in 2020, an experimental, psychological horror game that was designed as an exceptionally realistic exploration of mental terror – with Ninja Theory utilizing cutting-edge technology to render a photorealistic, real-world apartment as the playspace. It's not clear how far the project was in development at the time of cancelation, but it's unlikely to be revived as the studio turns its full attention to Senua and the expansion of the Hellblade series.

Project Mara may be gone, but there's plenty more coming from Xbox Game Studios. Check out the full list of upcoming Xbox Series X games.