Take-Two, the parent company of Rockstar Games, Zynga, and 2K, has hired two key developers who were working on the Perfect Dark reboot to start a new studio.
Via LinkedIn, Brian Horton, former creative director at The Initiative, announced his new role as VP, head of creative at 2K at a new studio with Darrell Gallagher.
Gallagher, former studio head at The Initiative, has joined 2K as SVP, studio head, where he’ll be “building a new studio and leading an ambitious opportunity unlike anything I’ve taken on before.”
“I’ve spent my career believing in what’s possible when great people come together with a bold vision. I can’t wait to get started with the exceptional team at 2K!” he wrote on LinkedIn.
The news comes three months after Bloomberg broke the news that Embracer had come close to striking a deal in which Take-Two would purchase the Perfect Dark reboot from Xbox, which owned the rights. According to the report, Take-Two would then fund and publish the game.
According to anonymous sources speaking to Bloomberg, the talks collapsed at least in part because the companies involved were unable to come to terms over long-term ownership of the Perfect Dark franchise.
Xbox closed The Initiative back in July
The Initiative, a Santa Monica-based studio tasked with reviving the Perfect Dark series in 2018, was shuttered in July. The closure took place in the midst of mass layoffs at Xbox and across Microsoft, during which 9,000 people were affected.
According to an email sent to employees by Matt Booty, head of Xbox Game Studios, The Initiative was shut down to “adjust priorities and focus resources to set up our teams for greater success within a changing industry landscape.”
Development on the reboot was reportedly turbulent as a result of clashes between developers and lack of clear vision from studio leadership. As of 2025, the game would have been in development for 7 years (IGN reported that the game was effectively rebooted in 2022, and was years away from release).
In addition, Crystal Dynamics, developer of Marvel’s Avengers and Tomb Raider, which was appointed to co-develop Perfect Dark in 2021, has also been caught up in layoffs.
The Embracer-owned studio made three rounds of job cuts this year, the latest taking place this past November, which affected “fewer than 30 people” across various departments.
“Crystal deeply thanks all of those impacted for their incredible talent, hard work, and dedication, which helped shape the studio in so many ways. We are committed to offering our fullest resources and support to you during this transition,” read a statement at the time.
“To our players—as the realities of the industry continue to evolve, we’ve made these painful choices as a way to optimize the continued development of our flagship Tomb Raider game, as well as shaping the rest of the studio to make new games for the future.”
