User Klobrille on the ResetEra forums noticed a curious development related to the development of the Perfect Dark reboot announced back in 2020: game director Dan Neuburger appears to have left the project. Last month, Neuburger’s LinkedIn reveals that he stepped down from Perfect Dark developer, The Initiative.
The studio behind Marvel’s Avengers and Tomb Raider reboot. Microsoft created the initiative in 2018 as their own development company, and Perfect Dark will be their first released game. Neuburger appears to have been at the studio since its inception or was close to it, coming out of his LinkedIn.
This departure could mean anything for the upcoming Perfect Dark. The withdrawal of senior employees in the middle of development is rarely good news for the quality of a game or a timely release. But despite this, some games manage to survive. Halo Infinite was pretty much a success, even though the development cycle looked highly chaotic.
Klobrille at ResetEra postulates that this may be less catastrophic than it sounds, given the relationship between The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics. And later passed the torch to Crystal Dynamics and its superior resources to bring Perfect Dark home.
In this case, Neuburger’s period of most intensive work on the project may have passed, softening the blow of his departure. We’ll have to wait and see what comes out of Perfect Dark before we know for sure.
