Despite Crystal Dynamics confirming layoffs last week, a recent report by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier suggests that prior to this, the studio had been secretly working on Perfect Dark. Earlier this year, it was believed that the project had been cancelled; however, a potential deal between Embracer Group and an unspecified party could have led to the transfer of ownership for the IP, allowing the game to continue development and release.
As per the report, Embracer was expected to obtain the intellectual property (IP) for Perfect Dark, which is presently owned by Xbox, and then sell it to Take-Two Interactive. The plan was for Take-Two Interactive to finance the development of Perfect Dark at Crystal Dynamics and serve as its publisher. Unfortunately, this potential deal didn’t materialize. The report mentions that anonymous sources claimed the companies were unable to reach an agreement regarding the long-term ownership of Perfect Dark as a franchise.
It appears that the job cuts at Crystal Dynamics were primarily due to their ongoing work on the game, Perfect Dark. At the same time, the management team, including those from now-defunct studio The Initiative, was searching for a new publisher to finance the project. However, Crystal Dynamics didn’t offer specifics about the number of employees affected by these lay-offs or provide any explanations in their announcement.
Today, we’ve reached a tough choice: letting go of several skilled team members due to changing business circumstances. This wasn’t an easy decision, but it was crucial for maintaining the longevity of our studio and keeping focus on our key artistic goals within an ever-changing industry.
It was reported that the development of “Perfect Dark,” a project shared by The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics, was apparently terminated in early July. This announcement came around the same time as several job cuts at Microsoft. Furthermore, Xbox Game Studios’ head Matt Booty confirmed in an internal memo that other projects like “Everwild” were also being shut down. Subsequently, there were rumors suggesting that Microsoft might be closing down The Initiative due to the game’s cancellation.
In contrast, Booty’s email did mention that Microsoft was actively developing over 40 projects, with plans to release them this fall and a promising lineup for 2026.
Although the “Perfect Dark” project seems to be temporarily halted, Crystal Dynamics assured during their recent layoff announcements that their ongoing “Tomb Raider” project remains unaffected. This “Tomb Raider” project was first announced in 2022, and while specific details about it are still scarce, we know that it’s being developed using Unreal Engine 5.
Crystal Dynamics’ most recent significant launch was Marvel’s Avengers, a game offering continuous service, but it faced unfavorable reviews both critically and commercially. Eventually, it was removed from various digital marketplaces.
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2025-09-03 14:42