Tag Archives: The Initiative

Earlier this year, Microsoft shut down The Initiative, the first-party studio responsible for the Perfect Dark reboot. The game was scrapped just one year after the ‘gameplay reveal', which is now believed to have been a very small vertical slice and not representative of the actual state of the product. …

Last week, we reported on a new round of lay-offs taking place at Crystal Dynamics. At the time, I reported that this was likely impacting the Perfect Dark team, as Microsoft/Xbox opted to cancel the game this year. Now, we have confirmation on that and as it turns out, the reason for the delayed impact at Crystal Dynamics was due to a deal that was brewing between Microsoft, Embracer and Take-Two, which would have seen Take-Two taking over the game and funding it through to completion. 

As part of Microsoft's mass lay-off announcements yesterday, the Xbox team made another shocking decision. First-party studio, The Initiative, is closing immediately and the Perfect Dark reboot has been cancelled. The Initiative was announced by Microsoft back in 2019. The studio was billed as Microsoft's ‘AAAA' studio, that's right, quadruple …

The Initiative has signed up former Wolverine creative director, Brian Horton, to lead work on the new Perfect Dark game.

First announced all the way back in 2020 via a cinematic teaser, the much-anticipated Perfect Dark reboot has not had the smoothest development, with Crystal Dynamics of Tomb Raider fame coming in to assist with development. Finally however, we have gotten our first proper look at the title, including gameplay. …

With the current kerfuffle surrounding Microsoft’s surprising moves within Xbox – aka shutting down Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin – fans have begun to fear for Xbox’s many other studios and projects, including the self-described AAAA Perfect Dark reboot. Throughout its development we have heard conflicting reports on the game’s …

The Initiative's Perfect Dark reboot was announced about three years ago, so you'd be forgiven for thinking we might get our first good look at it in the next year or so. Unfortunately, it sounds like development is making slow progress and is still quite a ways off.  A new …

Earlier this year, we learned that Xbox's upcoming Perfect Dark reboot is being co-developed through a joint effort between The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics. While Xbox hasn't said much about this project so far, Crystal Dynamics did give an update from its end of things, claiming that development is progressing …

It is quite common nowadays for video games to be worked on by multiple teams across different studios. That being said, these collaborations typically occur between studios which fall under the same corporate umbrella. It is therefore interesting to see that over 100 Crystal Dynamics devs are assisting Xbox studio …

Recently, we learned that Perfect Dark director, Dan Neuburger, has left The Initiative. As it turns out, the number of key departures from the studio is much, much larger. After assembling a team of hand-picked talent, nearly half of The Initiative's employees left over the past year. Currently, it is …

Last year, Microsoft's grass-roots studio, The Initiative, officially revealed that it is working on a Perfect Dark reboot, with Crystal Dynamics signing on to help develop the game. Unfortunately, the project has gone through one major change – it has lost its creative director.  Dan Neuburger has officially left The …

Back in 2018, Microsoft formed a brand new studio, The Initiative, led by former Crystal Dynamics head, Darrell Gallagher, to work on a major new game, which we now know to be the Perfect Dark reboot. The Initiative won't be embarking on this journey alone though, as the studio has …

While Microsoft has been snapping up video game development studios left and right, Sony has taken a much more methodical approach, acquiring studios which have been closely aligned with the console manufacturer for years. It seems the latest shake-up by the company may involve the creation of a new studio …

There were plenty of rumours surrounding what Microsoft would show at The Game Awards last night. Xbox PR head, Aaron Greenberg tempered expectations earlier in the week, telling fans not to expect anything too huge, but as it turns out, the Xbox team did have one huge reveal. Last night, …

Since the announcement of the studio’s formation back in 2018, Xbox fans have been eagerly awaiting news on The Initiative’s first project. Though we have yet to see anything from the studio, new leaks have suggested that the game will be a “3rd Person stealth action game” with “experimental” elements. …

While we first heard of the term AAAA in reference to Microsoft’s ‘The Initiative' studio, it appears as though other publishers are beginning to adopt the naming scheme. Ubisoft, has now announced that it is working on two separate AAAA titles, one of which is the much-anticipated Beyond Good & …

With Microsoft recently announcing its first-party next-gen Xbox Games Showcase for the 23rd of July, the attention has now been drawn to what games fans might expect to see at the digital event. Recent rumours suggested that The Initiative, Microsoft’s “AAAA” studio would be making itself known at the event. …

It has been a few months since Microsoft first formed ‘The Initiative', an ambitious first-party studio aiming to produce new, high-quality games for Xbox and PC. We've seen a wave of hires already, including top talent from other acclaimed studios. Now, The Initiative has added another big name to its …