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‘Hellblade’ Breaks Even, Final Dev Diary Released
As great of a game Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice turned out to be, it was undeniably a gamble for developer Ninja Theory to release what they called an “independent AAA game”. Thankfully, the gamble has paid off.
In the final Developer Diary released by Ninja Theory for Hellblade, the team reveal that in the three months since the game was launched, they reached 500,000 in sales (three months ahead of their predictions), and put Ninja Theory in the black with over $13 million in revenue. Breaking that down further, 250,000 units were sold in the first week at $29.99 USD, with over 75,000 units in pre-orders across PlayStation 4 and PC. Overall, about half of the sales were on PC.
This all comes from a team of 20, working over three years to develop a game that was sold only digitally.
So, what does this all mean? Well, it proves that in a world where bloated budgets and corporate meddling of a big-time developer can cause a game that’s well-received to be hopelessly behind the 8-ball in trying to break even, or an game made by a small team which receives ridiculous hype but unfortunately fails upon its release, there’s a happy medium. Is it for every game? No, but it’s a feel-good story for a game that definitely deserves your attention.
All of us here at Bloody Disgusting are deeply sad to learn that The Blob director Chuck Russell has passed away at 74 years old.
Russell’s career began with his directorial debut, 1987’s A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors.
The multihyphenate film director, screenwriter, and producer is best known for helming 1994 comedy The Mask starring Jim Carrey, Arnold Schwarzenegger actioner Eraser, and adventure spinoff The Scorpion King. The latter served as the first leading role for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
The filmmaker left an indelible mark on horror with his ANOES sequel, 1988’s The Blob, and 2000’s Bless the Child.
Russell’s final film credit is 2024’s Witchboard remake starring Madison Iseman (I Know What You Did Last Summer), Aaron Dominguez (Only Murders in the Building), and Jamie Campbell Bower (“Stranger Things”).
It marked Russell’s return to horror after a lengthy hiatus, and he shared sequel hopes to Bloody Disgusting in an interview ahead of the remake’s release: “I got to design the board with real mystical symbols and things that I know represent good and evil, and where that board takes us if the audiences respond to the film, and I hope they will; I know it’s out there for you guys, but the sequel is a world we’ll get to go a little further. That’s sure the intention.”
He also recently expressed interest in returning to the franchise that began his career.
TMZ notes that Russell passed away at his San Diego-area home.
We send our deepest condolences to Chuck Russell’s family, friends, and fans.
Director, Co-Writer & Producer Chuck Russell behind the scenes of the horror film, WITCHBOARD. Photo courtesy of The Avenue and Atlas Distribution
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