In nearly every corner of our lives, the buzz about AI is impossible to ignore. It's destined to revolutionize how we work, learn, and play. For those of us immersed in the world of gaming—whether as players or creators—the question isn't just how AI will change the game, but how it will ignite new possibilities.

At Xbox, we're all about using AI to make things better (and more fun!) for players and game creators. We want to bring more games to more people around the world and always stay true to the creative vision and artistry of game developers. We believe generative AI can boost this creativity and open up new possibilities. We're excited to announce a generative AI breakthrough, published today in the journal Nature and announced by Microsoft Research, that shows this potential to open up new possibilities—including the opportunity to make older games accessible to future generations of players across new devices and in new ways.

Every week, GFN Thursday brings new games to the cloud, featuring some of the latest and greatest titles for members to play. Leading the seven games joining GeForce NOW this week is the newest game in Ninja Theory's Hellblade franchise, Senua's Saga: Hellblade II. This day-and-date release expands the cloud gaming platform's extensive library of over 1,900 games. Members can also look forward to a new reward - a free in-game mount - for The Elder Scrolls Online starting Thursday, May 30. Get ready by opting into GeForce NOW's Rewards program.

Senua Returns
In Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, the sequel to the award-winning Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, Senua returns in a brutal journey of survival through the myth and torment of Viking Iceland. Intent on saving those who've fallen victim to the horrors of tyranny, Senua battles the forces of darkness within and without. Sink deep into the next chapter of Senua's story, a crafted experience told through cinematic immersion, beautifully realized visuals and encapsulating sound. Priority and Ultimate members can fully immerse themselves in Senua's story with epic cinematic gameplay at higher resolutions and frame rates over free members. Ultimate members can stream at up to 4K 120 frames per second with exclusive access to GeForce RTX 4080 SuperPODs in the cloud, even on underpowered devices.

GeForce NOW brings 24 new games for members this month. Ninja Theory's highly anticipated Senua's Saga: Hellblade II will be coming to the cloud soon - get ready by streaming the first in the series, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, part of the seven new games joining the GeForce NOW library this week. Plus, game across more devices than ever as GeForce NOW adds improved support on Steam Deck this GFN Thursday.

Journey into Viking Hell
Experience exceptional storytelling in Ninja Theory's award-winning game Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, available to stream from the cloud this week. Set in a dark fantasy world inspired by Norse mythology and Celtic culture, the game follows the journey of Senua, a Pict warrior. Her quest is to reach Helheim, the realm of the dead, to rescue her deceased lover's soul from the goddess Hela. Solve intricate puzzles with observation, engage in melee combat and get pulled deep into Senua's mind as she grapples with inner demons. Journey through the hauntingly beautiful landscapes of Helheim with ray tracing and high-dynamic range using an Ultimate or Priority membership for the most immersive and stunning visual fidelity.

Hello, Dom here, Studio Head at Ninja Theory. As I write this, we are now in the final few months of development on Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, preparing for our launch Day One on Xbox Game Pass and across Xbox Series X|S, Windows and Steam on May 21. It was a pleasure to give you all a deeper insight into Senua's next journey, our studio and our talented team in Developer Direct.

Since the release of Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, Ninja Theory has transitioned from being an independent team to one that sits within Xbox Game Studios. Although this has seen change for Ninja Theory, particularly in terms of the support now available to us for striving towards our ambitions, what has not changed is our passion and commitment to our studio mission - to craft life-changing art with game changing tech.

You're about to get an exciting look at some of the incredible games ahead with Xbox, as we present a new edition of Developer_Direct. On Thursday, January 18 at 12pm PT / 3pm ET / 8pm UK, fans will get an inside look at a selection of highly anticipated games coming to Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Game Pass. Shortly after, ZeniMax Online Studios will host The Elder Scrolls Online 2024 Global Reveal at 1pm PT / 4pm ET / 9pm UK to preview 2024's biggest update.

Presented by the game creators themselves, Developer_Direct offers an in-depth look at upcoming titles, how they're being created, and who's creating them. We'll visit MachineGames in Sweden to check in on their Indiana Jones game, swing by Obsidian's Irvine offices to see more from Avowed, head to Oxide Games' Maryland home to learn about Ara: History Untold, and take a trip to Cambridge, England to see Senua's Saga: Hellblade II from Ninja Theory. Please note that while this show won't have updates on games from Activision Blizzard, you can look forward to news from those teams later this year.

Ninja Theory has released a new trailer for its upcoming Senua's Saga: Hellblade II game, which was a part of Epic's State of Unreal showcase from GDC 2023. The new trailer focuses on Senua and character rendering rather than the game itself but at least we get an idea what to expect from the game when it comes out.

As you would have guessed, the game is developed on the Unreal Engine, and facial animation is definitely looking impressive. Previously, Ninja Theory revealed a bit of the gameplay at The Game Awards last year, and we certainly expect more from Microsoft at this year's Xbox Games Showcase on June 11th.

That headline may come as both a surprise and a non-surprise, thus allowing for an exploration of quantum physics. Ninja Theory has already addressed dementia and mental illness to great success in their highly acclaimed Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (grab it on Steam's Lunar New Year Sale if you haven't yet and are into cinematic storytelling with third-person action included).

Project: MARA is scarce on details right now, apart from teaser trailers which you can find after the break. According to Ninja Theory, the objective is to explore new storytelling mechanics in a highly experimental title. Based on research in the psychology and psychiatric fields, alongside first-hand accounts of people with mental illnesses, the experience aims to explore the ailments of the mind in a grounded way. I for one am eagerly awaiting such a release.