In a not so surprising revelation, Hellblade II will run at 30FPS on Xbox Series X and Series S consoles, Ninja Theory has confirmed.
Altough much more powerful than their forebears, closed hardware like the PS5 and Xbox SeriesX/S are bound by compromise. Devs have to often pick between higher frame rates or higher resolution--Gen 9 technically can make these trade offs less extreme, but some sort of balancing act is needed.
That's why we're still seeing games run at 30FPS, even with the extra horsepower of the PS5 and Series X. Running at 30FPS is especially weighty on the Series X, especially the way the system was marketed as being so powerful. So when Ninja Theory confirmed Hellblade runs at 30FPS on Xbox consoles, it wasn't exactly a surprise. Not only does Hellblade II look incredible--in new media previews, Hellblade II received glowing praise for its graphics and overall visual design--but it also has to look incredible on the Series S, too.
In a recent interview with GamePro, Ninja Theory VFX director Mark Slater-Tunstill said that 30FPS will deliver a more cinematic experience--an assurance that multiple studios have used in the past.
As a supernatural thriller with heavy emphasis on bizarre visuals, it makes sense that Hellbiade II: Senua's Sacrifice would prioritize graphics over frame rates. The 30FPS confirmation caused some friction among gamers, especially those who expected 60FPS to become the new norm across Gen9 consoles, but ultimately it's up to the creators to scale the games as they see fit.
Hellblade II: Senua's Saga release May 21, 2024 on Xbox Series X/S and Steam.
