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Bleeding Edge may not be the flagship Xbox title that you would expect from Ninja Theory. The Cambridge-based developer, acquired 12 months ago by Microsoft in its ongoing studio spending spree, has built its reputation on cinematic, narrative based adventures. Most recently with the Bafta-winning Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, lauded for its harrowing depiction of mental health in a Pict culture.

So, at first glance, a multiplayer melee starring Overwatch-style heroes (or ‘fighters’ in Bleeding Edge lingo) doesn’t feel like the most obvious follow-up. But you can trace its origins back to Ninja Theory’s debut in 2003; a 3D fighting party game called Kung Fu Chaos.

And for Ninja Theory’s newest creative director Rahni Tucker, a chance to embark on a passion project that tied into Ninja Theory’s heritage. “Combat has always been part of the Ninja Theory DNA,” she says. “I think they liked the idea of going back to combat, with Kung Fu Chaos being the first game they ever made. I really wanted to make more third person action combat and was thinking what I could do next with it.

“At home I play a lot of team multiplayer games, all the way from MOBAs to team shooters. And then I was like: where is this game? A third-person action competitive team multiplayer. It doesn’t really exist and it sounds like my dream project.”