The developers of a video game raising awareness of psychosis has donated £7,000 to Rethink Mental Illness.

Ninja Theory, based in Cambridge, gave the generous gift after the release of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II and the success of their mental health conference ‘Hellblade: A Journey of the Mind’.

The first Hellblade game, released in 2017, depicted the journey of Senua, a Pictish warrior battling with trauma and psychosis. It was shaped by a close collaboration between Ninja Theory Ltd, clinical neuroscientists, and people with lived experience of mental illness.

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice received warm reviews from critics who praised it as a work of art. They also applauded its uncommon choice of revolving its story and main character around psychosis, as well as the quality and uniqueness of its approach of the condition.

In the follow-up game – Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II – the collaboration and synergy between science, art and lived experience has been extended.

Saga explores Senua’s experiences in new ways, evoking the distress of her unshared reality but also its beauty. It examines what it is like to experience a world that others do not and highlights how each of us constructs a reality for ourselves and what happens when separate realities come into conflict.

Dom Matthews, Studio Head at Ninja Theory, said: “As we continue with Senua on her mental health journey, we're proud to be able to continue our partnership with Rethink Mental Illness and contribute towards the work they do to support others with their mental health recovery.”

We’d like to thank the team at Ninja Theory for their fantastic donation that will enable us to deliver even more support across the country to people living with severe mental illness.

To learn more about Ninja Theory's games, visit their website.