Perfect Dark was almost saved by Take Two but Microsoft wouldn’t give up IP

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. 

Bloomberg's Jason Schreier published his report on the Crystal Dynamics layoffs this week, confirming that it was the Perfect Dark team impacted. On top of that though, Schreier also learned that Crystal Dynamics and its parent company, Embracer Group, were in talks to try and keep the project alive.

The deal being discussed would have seen Take Two acquiring the rights to the game and funding the project in lieu of Microsoft. While Microsoft was open to this, the company did not want to part with ownership over the IP. Take Two wasn't going to fund a game for a franchise it has no ownership over and as a result, the deal fell apart.

Unfortunately, it is looking like Perfect Dark will be shelved for a long time. It took Microsoft over a decade to return to Perfect Dark after the release of Perfect Dark Zero, which was an Xbox 360 launch title. On top of that, Microsoft burned through millions setting up ‘The Initiative', which was based in one of the most expensive cities in all of the US, and spent even more money recruiting top talent from around the games industry, only to ultimately decide to contract development of the game out to a third-party. The whole thing was a massive waste of time and money and due to those lost funds, it is doubtful that Microsoft is keen to invest more into the Perfect Dark IP.

KitGuru Says: Perhaps this is why Microsoft is so keen on buying studios, because it clearly can't set up one of its own and manage it effectively. The Initiative didn't even get close to releasing a game. 

Become a Patron!