Hello PlayStation Followers,
I’m Melina from Ninja Concept, the actress who performs Senua in Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II.
I’m past excited to lastly share that Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II has arrived on PlayStation 5. It’s been a protracted, intense, and deeply private journey, and bringing this sequel to PlayStation really looks like coming dwelling.
After I first joined Ninja Concept over a decade in the past, I wasn’t an actress, I used to be working behind the scenes as a video editor and videographer, capturing the workforce’s course of, reducing trailers, and creating growth diaries. Then at some point, I used to be requested to step in as a stand-in for some early efficiency seize checks whereas they have been in search of an actress to painting Senua. I used to be very scared to be in entrance of the digicam, had no performing expertise and actually thought it could be a one-off factor to assist out the workforce. However one thing about Senua struck a deep chord in me. I noticed components of myself in her, the ache, the worry, the combat and in some ways, it felt like I already knew her. Our director observed that connection, and what started as a brief stand-in rapidly changed into one thing a lot greater.
In 2017, we launched Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice on PlayStation and PC. It was our first independently developed and self-published recreation. Uncooked, emotional, and extremely private. We labored intently with psychological well being professionals, neuroscientists, and other people with lived expertise of psychosis, together with a few of my very own, to painting Senua’s world with honesty and care.
I used to be new to performing, however like everybody at Ninja Concept, I gave every part I had. Hellblade was a real workforce effort, each element was formed by a bunch of artists, designers, writers, animators, audio engineers, programmers, and extra. We have been a really small workforce with a giant story to inform, and all of us poured our hearts into bringing Senua’s Story to life. And when the sport launched, the response from the PlayStation neighborhood was overwhelming. Your letters, your tales, your artwork, your connection to Senua, it actually meant the world to all of us.
Now, I’m extremely proud that Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II has arrived on PlayStation 5, the very platform the place Senua’s journey first started! This sequel has pushed us in each potential approach. We traveled to Iceland and scanned actual areas to seize its breathtaking landscapes and haunting ambiance. I spent months in fight coaching to higher perceive Senua’s physicality, although I’m blissful to say the extra intense stunts have been dealt with (way more gracefully) by our sensible stunt workforce. We constructed a brand new efficiency seize stage, expanded our forged and crew, and pushed ourselves creatively and technically on each entrance. However regardless of the bigger scale, Hellblade II remains to be deeply private. At its coronary heart, it’s about Senua, intimate, grounded, and human. This time, her journey isn’t solely about surviving what’s inside, but additionally studying how one can join with the world and other people round her.
It’s arduous to imagine it’s been over a decade since I first stepped into that mocap go well with. A lot has modified since then, however Senua has by no means left me, and in some ways, we’ve grown collectively. To everybody who’s been with us from the start, thanks from the underside of our hearts. You believed in us after we have been nonetheless discovering our approach. And to these discovering Senua for the primary time, welcome aboard. I actually hope her story speaks to you, the best way it has spoken to us. Thanks!
Numerous love,
Melina JuergensSenua
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II Enhanced is out now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Sequence X|S, Xbox on PC, Steam and Recreation Move.
