Crystal Dynamics Is Reportedly Leading Development On The Perfect Dark Reboot
Earlier this week, we heard reports of trouble at Perfect Dark developer The Initiative. The team had reportedly lost half of its core developers due to departures over the past year, leading to Microsoft bringing on Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics to fill in the gaps. Now, perhaps unsurprisingly, we're hearing that Crystal Dynamics has taken the lead on Perfect Dark
This comes courtesy of VGC editor Andy Robinson over on Twitter. "If it wasn't obvious already,” Robinson wrote, “multiple sources have now suggested to me that Crystal Dynamics is essentially leading this project."
Related: When It Comes To Perfect Dark, We Shouldn't Be Asking About The Game
VGC's report from earlier this week confirmed 34 people had left The Initiative according to an analysis of LinkedIn profiles. This included game director Dan Neuburger, design director Drew Murray, lead level designer Chris O’Neill, principal world builder Jolyon Myers, two senior system designers, and most of the senior design time. Despite being reduced to less than 50 people, The Initiative only had three openings on its official website.
Internal strife is what most likely lead to The Initiative's implosion. Sources speaking to VGC spoke of a "lack of creative autonomy" leading to a slow development process. Furthermore, studio head Darrell Gallagher was described as a "top-down" manager who clashed with staff who were expecting a more collaborative approach to game development.
“In this journey, it’s not uncommon for there to be staffing changes, especially during a time of global upheaval over the last two years, and there’s plenty more work in front of us to deliver a fantastic Perfect Dark experience to our players,” said Gallagher in a statement. “We
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