- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 ditches physical copies for a digital-only launch at $49.99 on May 21st.
- Many gamers prefer physical ownership and might not like this decision.
- The game offers around 8 hours of gameplay like its predecessor.
Fans have been waiting for Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 for a while now, and it’s one of the most anticipated releases in 2024. However, a new announcement was made today that may not sit well with some fans.
On the official Xbox Wire, the head of Ninja Theory studio recently spilled the beans about this title. Unlike the typical physical release, this one’s going all digital.
Why it matters: Gamers prefer physical copies of video games as collector’s items and often dislike digital-only games. All-digital releases are usually seen as going against the element of choice, making them unpopular.
Dom Matthews, the CEO of Ninja Theory, made it official on the Xbox Wire website that Hellblade 2 will be a digital-only release. He said:
“Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 will be sold digital-only at $49.99”
This might surprise many fans since the first game was available in both digital and physical formats. The reason for Hellblade 2 being digital-only is currently unknown, but we can speculate that this move helps bring the game’s cost down.
Despite AAA production values, Hellblade 2 will be priced lower than $70. A similar reason was put forward by Remedy Entertainment after it announced that Alan Wake 2 would be launched as a digital-only title.
It’s a strange decision that could potentially hurt the game’s sales once it releases on 21 May. Last year, Alan Wake 2 also experienced low sales due to its digital-only release, with some fans refusing to buy the game.
Still, with Game Pass in the mix, Hellblade 2 is unlikely to suffer as much as Alan Wake 2.
When people go digital, they don’t fully own the game like they do with a physical disc.
Instead, they get a license to play, and the platform holder decides when this license expires. This can be concerning for users when platforms shut down, leaving their purchased content inaccessible.
Lately, video games going digital-only have become a common theme. Ubisoft recently asked fans to embrace digital releases over physical ownership of games.
Anyhow, Dom Matthews also announced that Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 will offer a similar gameplay length to the first game. Based on current information, gamers took around eight hours on average to finish the first game.
Moreover, Matthews confirmed that Hellblade 2 is in its last stages of development. With this release just around the corner, 2024 is looking great for Xbox so far.
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