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Released in 2017, the video game Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice saw players take control of dark-age warrior Senua as she battled to rescue the soul of her dead lover from the Norse underworld. The action-adventure game from British studio Ninja Theory won awards for its gameplay, acting and storytelling, as well as plaudits for its nuanced and well-researched depiction of psychosis. Hellblade was notable for its use of performance capture technology – recording real-life actors’ movements and expressions to use in the game – and this saw German actor Melina Juergens awarded a BAFTA for her performance as the titular character.

Now studio head Dominic Matthews and his team are working on the sequel, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, which takes players to Viking-age Iceland. Melina returns as the embattled Senua, acting on a brand new, state-of-the-art performance capture stage. With a bigger budget and using cutting-edge software, Ninja Theory is developing a technically groundbreaking gaming experience. Nathan Jones joins Dominic, Melina and the rest of the team in Cambridge as they tell this next chapter of their story and prepare for the game’s much-anticipated launch.

Produced by Andrea Kidd for the Ö÷²¥´óÐã World Service.

(Photo: Senua’s Saga. Credit: Microsoft)