Hellblade 2 Confirmed to Run at 30 FPS on Xbox, No Performance Mode Available [IGN]

We have a month-and-a-half until Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is released, and if you were curious to know more about the technical side of things, it has been revealed today that Ninja Theory’s highly anticipated action game is locked at 30 frames per second if you are playing the Xbox Series X or S version.

Speaking to GamePro, Mark Slater-Tunstill, the VFX director for Hellblade 2, confirmed the console versions are locked to run at 30 FPS with dynamic resolution, with no additional graphic options, such as a performance mode, available on consoles. However, the PC version is not locked to this feature, and increased FPS can only be achieved on that specific platform.

Slater-Tunstill explained that locking the console versions of Hellblade 2 to 30 FPS made the experience feel more “cinematic.” However, he did not specify if it was due to anything else, such as technical limitations of the Xbox Series S.

Nevertheless, Hellblade 2’s lock at 30 FPS is an interesting choice and one that, most recently, Xbox first-party studio Arkane Austin received controversy for when it confirmed its multiplayer shooter Redfall was capped at 30 FPS at release before eventually getting a 60 FPS mode months after its less-than-stellar launch. This is the most recent controversy for Hellblade 2, as earlier this year, Microsoft and Ninja Theory revealed that when it releases on May 21, Hellblade 2 will be a digital-only release, retailing for $50.

Aside from running on Unreal Engine 5, Hellblade 2 is using Epic Games’ MetaHuman animator technology to push the “boundaries of real-time facial animation.”

For more, check out IGN’s Hellblade 2 preview, in which we say the game is “shaping up to be another riveting, haunting, and uncompromisingly immersive nightmare of both Senua’s and Ninja Theory’s creation.” Elsewhere, Ninja Theory has said its fans prefer shorter games.

Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.