Microsoft is closing the studio developing the Perfect Dark reboot and cancelling the game<p>The Initiative, the Xbox studio developing <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:1;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/perfect-dark-reboot-trailer-shows-joanna-dark-hunting-bad-guys-in-a-near-future-cairo-180150819.html">a modern reimagining of
Perfect Dark[/url]
, is being shut down, and development of the game is ending. As first reported by <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:2;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="
https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/microsoft-is-closing-down-xbox-studio-the-initiative">
Windows Central,[/url] the studio's closure is part of <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:3;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/microsoft-gaming-division-suffers-further-layoffs-142430386.html">major cuts[/url] Microsoft is making across its business, affecting around four percent of the company's global workforce.</p>
<p>Based on a memo from Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty obtained by
Windows Central, which Microsoft has confirmed is genuine, the decision to close The Initiative was born out of the cancellation of
Perfect Dark, rather than the other way around. "We have made the decision to stop development of
Perfect Dark and
Everwild as well as wind down several unannounced projects across our portfolio," Booty wrote. "As part of this, we are closing one of our studios, The Initiative."</p>
<span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p>Rare's
Everwild was <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:4;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/gaming/everwild-has-reportedly-been-cancelled-amid-xbox-layoffs-162200526.html">previously reported[/url] to be one of the projects impacted by Microsoft's layoffs. The game was <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:5;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/2019-11-14-rare-everwild-xbox.html">announced in 2019[/url] but has had a troubled development, even <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:6;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/why-wasnt-everwild-at-e3-its-been-completely-rebooted/">starting from scratch in 2021[/url].
Perfect Dark, based on <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:7;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_Dark#Reboot">the older Rare game of the same name[/url], was supposed to be The Initiative's first project. The game was being co-developed in partnership with Crystal Dynamics. The first <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:8;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofUi9DR9sc4">gameplay footage[/url] of the
Perfect Dark reboot was shown in 2024.</p>
<p>While cancelled games are the most visible impact of Microsoft's layoffs, it increasingly sounds like countless studios will end up being affected in one way or another. <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:9;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="
https://bsky.app/profile/jasonschreier.bsky.social/post/3lsynuplq222l">
Bloomberg's Jason Schreier[/url] writes that
Call of Duty studio Raven is also facing cuts, and
Forza Motorsport developer Turn 10 could end up losing around 50 percent of its staff.</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/microsoft-is-closing-the-studio-developing-the-perfect-dark-reboot-and-cancelling-the-game-182257902.html?src=rssSource:
Microsoft is closing the studio developing the Perfect Dark reboot and cancelling the game
