Perfect Dark Developer The Initiative Has Lost Even More Devs Than Previously Reported
Fans have anxiously been awaiting news regarding Xbox's reboot of the Perfect Dark franchise, announced during The Game Awards 2020. While there is an update regarding Perfect Dark developer The Initiative, it's not going to be the news Perfect Dark fans were hoping for. A new report details significant turnover at The Initiative, including major roles at the company like Perfect Dark's game director, design director, director of narrative, technical director, and many other key positions.
The report into The Initiative's turnover comes from Video Games Chronicle, which says that around 36 employees have left the studio over the past year according to an analysis of LinkedIn profile updates. For some perspective, LinkedIn currently lists just 50 people as employed by The Initiative, with 12 of them having been hired over the same time period. The turnover paints a bleak picture of the state of The Initiative and its leadership, as well as the direction of Perfect Dark.
Perfect Dark May Get Gameplay Premiere at E3
As noted, the most prominent departures from The Initiative include several key positions. Daniel Neuburger, previously a game director at Crystal Dynamics for the Tomb Raider franchise, left the company in February after over three and a half years with The Initiative. Both Blake Fischer, director of narrative, and Christine Thompson, narrative lead, left The Initiative in mid-2021. William Archbell, The Initiative's technical director, as well as seven other engineers all left between April and August 2021. The art team also saw significant departures, with 11 teammates leaving in the past 12 months.
Comments from former employees describe a frustrating top-down direction headed by The Initiative's studio head,
Read more on gamerant.com
