The Perfect Dark Reboot Studio Is Reportedly Suffering From High Talent Turnover

The doors at Microsoft-owned studio The Initiative seem to be revolving at the moment, with the developer of the Perfect Dark reboot reportedly seeing senior staff depart the company frequently.

According to a report by VGC, as many as half of the core development team have left the company in the past year, including the game’s director Dan Neuburger. Other big name departures include Drew Murray (design director), Chris O’Neill (lead level designer), Jolyon Myers (principal world builder), Justin Perez (senior systems designer), as well as several former God of War developers. Based on a LinkedIn peruse, VGC says that The Initiative workforce is currently less than 50 people. It would then make sense as to why Crystal Dynamics was brought on to assist the AAAA studio in September 2021.

When speaking with former employees, they cited a “lack of creative autonomy and slow development progress”, with studio boss Darrell Gallagher and Dan Neuburger reportedly reluctant to let the team make creative decisions, as reasons why the studio has lost key members of the development team. Sources also told VGC that they were surprised with how “lenient” Microsoft was with the lack of progress, and with Crystal Dynamics joining, the project could undergo a soft reboot, which would mean that the game is still years away from releasing.

Personally, I’ve always thought a reboot, even for a series as loved as Perfect Dark, was an odd choice for Microsoft’s star-studded studio. However, it’s a shame to hear that development hasn’t been as productive as everyone hoped and hopefully we do see something from the studio sooner rather than later.

What do you make of The Initiative losing a large number of key talent? Let us know in the comments or on social media.