Ninja Theory's 4v4 brawler Bleeding Edge released in March last year to mostly ambivalent reviews. At launch, Morgan wrote that its "characters are cool, but the combat is too shallow to hold attention for long." Despite a handful of content updates between then and now, including a cool dolphin-powered mech, the game hasn't managed to reach the kind of audience required for a successful live service game.
And that was confirmed today, with the announcement that active development will cease on Bleeding Edge. The game will still be playable—it's available on Xbox Game Pass for PC still, and you can buy it—but don't expect new characters and maps going forward.
"With the studio now focusing on our new projects (Senua’s Saga, Project Mara & The Insight Project) we have decided that there will be no further content updates for Bleeding Edge," the tweet reads. "The game is still playable on Xbox and PC. Thank you to the fans and keep teaming up and causing chaos!"
With the studio now focusing on our new projects (Senua’s Saga, Project Mara & The Insight Project) we have decided that there will be no further content updates for Bleeding Edge. The game is still playable on Xbox and PC. Thank you to the fans & keep teaming up & causing chaos!January 28, 2021
The last substantial content update Bleeding Edge received was in July last year, when melee support fighter Azrael was added to the hero roster. He came alongside a new map in the form of Facility 665.
An online multiplayer brawler was a bit out of character for Ninja Theory, which is nowadays best known for Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice and the 2013 Devil May Cry. The games it currently has development are a more obvious fit: Senua's Saga is a sequel to Hellblade, while Project: Mara appears to be a psychological horror based entirely within a photorealistic apartment.
As for The Insight Project, we're yet to see that project in action, though it's billed as "an ambitious combination of technology, game design and clinical neuroscience."
