Ninja Theory co-founder Tameem Antoniades has left the Microsoft-owned studio.
The Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice writer has departed before the launch of the long-awaited sequel, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, which is slated to touch down on May 21, 2024.
Polygon noticed Antoniades’ absence during a recent studio visit, with an Xbox spokesperson confirming his exit shortly after. It’s unclear when exactly Antoniades left, but he was involved in Hellblade 2 during the early stages of production.
Notably, the reason for his departure also remains a mystery.
Antoniades established Ninja Theory alongside Dom Matthews, Mike Ball, and Nina Kristensen back in 2004, with the co-founders regrouping after a stint under the Just Add Monsters moniker.
In the two decades since, Ninja Theory has worked on projects like Heavenly Sword, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, DmC: Devil May Cry, and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice.
Microsoft eventually purchased Ninja Theory in June 2018 as part of a spate of acquisitions designed to bolster its first-party credentials.
At the time, Antoniades said the deal was “totally unexpected” and “not something we were really looking to do,” but would ultimately enable the studio to take “bigger creative risks.”
“We want to make our own games our own way, and not be told what to make and how to make it, and above all we want to protect our team, our culture, and our identity,” he said.
As for Microsoft, the company continued to pursue high-profile acquisitions and eventually added the likes of Bethesda and Activision Blizzard to the burgeoning Xbox Game Studios family.