Xbox has cancelled its Perfect Dark reboot and closed its developer, it has been confirmed.
In a statement, Matt Booty [110 articles]” href=”https://www.videogameschronicle.com/people/matt-booty/”>Matt Booty said the decisions “reflect a broader effort to adjust priorities and focus resources to set up our teams for greater success within a changing industry landscape”.
Santa Monica, California-based Crystal Dynamics [193 articles]” href=”https://www.videogameschronicle.com/companies/crystal-dynamics/”>Crystal Dynamics boss Darrell Gallagher, along with a host of veteran developers. showed gameplay for the Perfect Dark reboot last summer, four years after its announcement. According to reports, the game had been through a challenging development. VGC reported in March 2022 that the Xbox studio had seen a “fast and furious” wave of senior departures over the previous year.
In a company-wide email announcing The Initiative’s closure, the cancellation of Rare’s Everwild, which VGC exclusively reported earlier today.
Booty’s email to company staff, via Windows Central, reads:
“Following Phil’s note, I want to share more about the changes to the Studios business units.
We have made the decision to stop development of Perfect Dark and Microsoft confirmed a significant wave of layoffs on Wednesday, which could reportedly see as much as 4%, or roughly 9,100, of the company’s total employees, across all departments, including gaming, affected.
“We continue to implement organizational and workforce changes that are necessary to position the company and teams for success in a dynamic marketplace,” a Microsoft spokesperson said.
