Perfect Dark game director leaves Xbox’s The Initiative studio
The Initiative is short one game director on the Perfect Dark reboot.
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What you need to know
The Initiative is a member of the expansive Xbox Game Studios family, established by a team of industry veterans to bring to life new gaming experiences. The studio is currently working on a reboot of first-person shooter Perfect Dark in collaboration with Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics. The game has been in active development for years, but it was recently brought to light that the project has lost its game director.
Revealed by Neuburger’s LinkedIn profile (thanks,VGC), this would be the second high profile departure from The Initiative in recent memory, after the design director forPerfect Darkleft in Feb. 2021.
Neuburger was the game director for nearly four years before leaving in Feb. 2022, and before that was game director atCrystal Dynamics, which is now partnered with The Initiative. The reasons for Neuburger’s departure aren’t clear, but it appears he’s seeking out new opportunities elsewhere as a game director. It’s also not clear if The Initiative is looking for a replacement or has already found one, but the studio’savailable positionsdon’t list a game director.
The Initiative is still comprised of many talented individuals working on Perfect Dark, which has been in active development for several years now. There’s reason to believe that Perfect Dark is nearing the final stages of development between The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics, and could release as soon as 2023 or 2024. We may hear more about the project later this year alongside upcoming Xbox titles likeStarfieldandRedfall.
Not a lot is currently known about the Perfect Dark reboot, but we know it’ll release as an Xbox console exclusive, and will launch intoXbox Game Passon day one. If The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics are able to revive and modernize what made the original Perfect Dark so special, they could have one of thebest Xbox gameson their hands.
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Zachary Boddy (They / Them) is a Staff Writer for Windows Central, primarily focused on covering the latest news in tech and gaming, the best Xbox and PC games, and the most interesting Windows and Xbox hardware. They have been gaming and writing for most of their life starting with the original Xbox, and started out as a freelancer for Windows Central and its sister sites in 2019. Now a full-fledged Staff Writer, Zachary has expanded from only writing about all things Minecraft to covering practically everything on which Windows Central is an expert, especially when it comes to Microsoft. You can find Zachary on Twitter@BoddyZachary.
