Hellblade 2 Will Be A Digital-Only Release
Xbox streamed its Developer Direct earlier today, in which we got a good look at all the games that are coming to the platform in 2024. Most notably, we finally got a release date Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, which will finally release on both Xbox and PC on May 21, with a simultaneous launch on Game Pass. That was a pretty big reason to celebrate for fans of the platform, but Xbox left things on a sour note by confirming that Hellblade 2 will be a digital-only title.
In a new post on Xbox Wire (thanks VGC) recapping all the Developer Direct announcements, it was revealed that Hellblade 2 will not be getting a physical release like its predecessor, and will be a digital-only title that costs $49.99USD. It was also revealed that the game will have a similar length to the original, which game site HowLongToBeat puts at around seven and a half hours for the main story.
With this news, Hellblade 2 has now joined the likes of big titles such as Alan Wake 2 and Baldur's Gate 3 which launched without physical editions, albeit the latter is getting a collector's edition that includes a physical copy at some point in 2024. Making Hellblade 2 a digital-only title is more than likely a way for Xbox to tempt more people into an Xbox Game Pass subscription, as it's difficult to imagine people paying $49.99 for a game that they could play and easily beat with a single month of Game Pass.
This news also comes hot on the heels of a recent controversy surrounding Ubisoft, as its director of subscriptions recently drew the ire of gamers by claiming that they need to get used to "not owning your games". It's becoming clearer very year that big gaming publisher like Ubisoft and Xbox would rather have many people tied to subscription services like Ubisoft Plus and Xbox Game Pass, and Hellblade 2's digital-only release is yet another sign that future may be a lot closer than some us like.
Thankfully, not every developer out there is convinced by the subscription model. Baldur's Gate 3
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