Ninja Theory themselves said so in the Developer Direct. So dissapointing to hear too

Developer direct.

https://wccftech.com/senuas...

"Although we are no longer an independent studio, our creative spirit has in fact been emboldened by our joining of Xbox Game Studios, and in this new chapter of Senua’s life we have been able to push our production values way beyond what we were able to achieve previously. So, my message to players is that if you loved Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, or if you enjoy narrative-led experiences of cinematic immersion, we are building Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II for you. Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II will be a game crafted from the heart – a game similar in length to the first Hellblade, with a focused narrative, and sold digital-only at a price of $50 USD."

https://howlongtobeat.com/g...

First Hellblade
Main story completion time, 7.5 hours

I see what you're saying but I'm disappointed in NT I'm my opinion. They had all this time to make at least a compelling 30 hour narrative focused game but they're still operating like they're independent. Maybe its a small dog Mentality but they had a chance to go big and didn't do it. HB2 is the very, definition of a one and done game. Beat it and move on, never to to back to it. That's all on NT and their small mind mentality. This was one of my most anticipated games but not anymore, In fact, I'm not even that excited for any of their future projects now tbh.

I dislike shorter games, especially at full price, but I abhor pointless padding, I'd rather a fun 10 hour game, than a 20 hour game with a 10 hour slog just to finish the main story.

The first Hellblade was about the same length, so I guess it's in line with expectations.

The game does appear to make a reasonable compromise being $50 (which is about a 29% discount from a full priced title). Moreover, the production value is very good and offers a similar experience to the first—I think that's a good thing if you loved the first. You might be wanting more, but at least it doesn't seem to be overstaying its welcome.

Overall, the pros and cons are there: lower price with a high production value and available at no cost beyond your Game Pass subscription, but digital only and pretty short (that's subjectively bad, though).

It is a bit jarring given the development cycle, but at the end of the day, it's a low risk pickup. If I liked Hellblade, I'd probably wait for a price drop, but only because it's digital and I tend to never spend above $20 on a digital game.

Journey was great too. And while I expect Hellblade 2 will be also... I didnt wait years in anticipation for Journey or expect it to build up on a previous entry. So yeah the HB2 length is a bit underwhelming

Ninja Theory hasn't given any indication that this was going to be something radically different so that's kinda on you.

They've shown more of the same (for years now) but with significantly higher fidelity.

Order 1886, Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, Titanfall 2, A Way Out, Stray, Ghostrunner etc .... all have 6-8 hrs campaign, but people have enjoyed and still enjoy these games .... branding a game as inferior after just knowing about its approx. length is not a good move, imho.
Let the game release.

Rooting for Bloodlines 2 as well ... hope it turns out great

Yeah, I feel you there. Maybe they'll pull it off, but I am a little more reserved than I'd otherwise would be if not for that!

For sure, I'm worried, but if I want to play a "VTM" game, I'll have to suffer some stupid sh$%. I know they are using 5e, but how much of it?