After years of silence, Ninja Theory has officially pulled the plug on Project Mara, that’s according to the interview with Ninja Theory Studio Head Dom Matthews that was published by XBOX Wire.

The experimental horror title, first announced in 2020, has been canceled so the studio can fully focus on a brand-new standalone adventure centered around Senua, the iconic protagonist of the Hellblade series.

According to Matthews, the decision wasn’t easy, but concentrating the team’s resources on a single project will allow Ninja Theory to push the franchise much further than before. Here’s the word:

We had smaller teams working on the last two Hellblade games – Hellblade I 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.

And with the fact that we have the entire team working on this game, I suspect some people might ask what’s happened to Project Mara [a previously announced horror title] – 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.

The new game, simply titled Senua, takes place after the events of Hellblade II and follows the Celtic warrior through a haunting vision of Purgatory.

Trapped between life and death, Senua must fight her way toward the afterlife while confronting forces that challenge everything she believes.

Senua is currently scheduled to launch in 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Cloud Gaming, with day-one availability on Game Pass.