Ninja Theory Cancels Project: Mara to Focus on Senua

Ninja Theory has cancelled Project: Mara and reassigned the studio’s 85 creatives to work on its new Senua game, Studio Head Dom Matthews confirmed this week.

Project: Mara was announced in January 2020 as an experimental horror title intended to depict mental terror using accounts of lived experience and research. A teaser trailer and some behind-the-scenes material followed the announcement, but official updates largely stopped after early 2021.

In an interview while promoting the upcoming Senua release, Studio Head Dom Matthews explained: “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 – 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’s statement confirms Project: Mara is no longer in active development. Earlier industry reporting had described the project as more concept than active production.

Ninja Theory has shifted the creative and technical staff who had been split between projects so the full team can concentrate on Senua, the next entry in the Hellblade series, which the studio is preparing for release.

The studio has not announced plans to revive Project: Mara. For now, all creative resources cited by Matthews will remain focused on completing and supporting the new Senua game.