Hellblade on Xbox One hits 50,000 sales

Update: Hellblade has hit its first 50,000 sales milestone, raising $25,000 for Mental Health America.

Developer Ninja Theory has one day to increase sales to 100,000, when it will donate $50,000 to the charity.

Original Story:

Ninja Theory's Hellblade launches on Xbox One today, and the studio is hoping to use it to raise money for charity.

The Cambridge-based developer has promised to donate large cash sums to the US charity Mental Health America, inspired by the game's exploration into psychological trauma.

The firm announced via Twitter that if the Xbox One version achieves 50,000 sales in its first week, it will donate $25,000 to the charity. That doubles to $50,000 if the game manages 100,000 sales.

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice launched on PlayStation 4 last year and achieved profitability within just three months. It also racked up close to 500,000 sales in that time.

We spoke to the studio back in November about how the game proves there's a potential future for independent AAA development. Hellblade was put together by a smaller team on a smaller budget, but aimed for high-end production values with its stunning visuals and award-winning performances by the main character.

In fact, Hellblade earned the most nominations of any game at this year's BAFTAs with nine potential wins in store. The awards will be held tomorrow night in London.

Firewatch designer Nels Anderson recently wrote about Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice as part of our ongoing Why I Love series of guest editorials.