Take-Two talks ‘to save Xbox’s Perfect Dark reboot’ reportedly collapsed
The publisher could have rescued the canceled Xbox game, it’s claimed
Take-Two was reportedly in discussions to save Xbox’s canceled Perfect Dark reboot, but negotiations recently collapsed over details of a potential deal.
That’s according to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, who reports that the collapse of talks between Microsoft, Take-Two, and Crystal Dynamics owner Embracer resulted in an unspecified number of layoffs at Crystal Dynamics last month.
Crystal Dynamics was co-developing Perfect Dark alongside California-based The Initiative before the game was canceled in July, and its developer closed as part of a sweeping layoff across Microsoft.
The game, a remake of the classic spy shooter from developer Rare, was announced in 2020 and featured in last summer’s Xbox Summer Showcase.
According to Bloomberg’s sources, Take-Two was in discussions with Microsoft and Embracer to fund and publish the game, but the deal collapsed in part because the companies were unable to come to terms over long-term ownership of the Perfect Dark franchise.
Representatives for Embracer, Xbox, and Take-Two all declined to comment.
Microsoft confirmed a significant wave of layoffs this summer, which reportedly saw as much as 4%, or roughly 9,100 of the company’s total employees, across all departments, including gaming, affected.
