Ninja Theory announced the cancellation of Project Mara, an experimental psychological horror game, at the June 2026 Xbox Games Showcase [1, 2].
Project Mara was revealed in January 2020 as a deeply researched title designed to realistically depict mental terror within a photorealistic apartment environment [1, 3, 2]. It focused on authentic portrayals based on real lived experiences of psychological distress [1, 2].
Studio head Dom Matthews said he made the difficult decision to halt Project Mara’s development to focus the entire studio on Senua, the upcoming Hellblade sequel. "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 and expertise in the studio, all 85 creatives, working together to realize the potential of what Senua can be," Matthews said [1, 2]. Matthews also expressed the same in Mandarin during the announcement, underlining the business and creative rationale behind the move [3].
Ninja Theory has 85 creatives in total [1, 3, 2]. The studio’s previous project before Project Mara was Bleeding Edge, a 4v4 melee combat game that was cancelled in 2021 [1, 2]. Development of Senua reportedly began in 2024 [2].
Senua is described as a more expansive, gameplay-driven action-adventure that continues Hellblade’s focus on psychosis and mental health themes [1, 2]. Ninja Theory is owned by Microsoft [1, 2].
With all staff now focused on Senua, the studio aims to fully realize the sequel’s commercial and narrative potential, according to Matthews [1].
