Dan Neuburger, game director of the Perfect Dark reboot at The Initiative, has seemingly left the studio. The director had been at the studio since July 2018 after leaving Crystal Dynamics — the studio co-developing the return of Perfect Dark with The Initiative.
The Perfect Dark reboot’s director isn’t the first departure
First picked up by user ‘Klobrille’ on ResetEra, Neuburger’s Linkedin page has been updated — revealing he left the studio last month. Before his time at the Microsoft studio, the Perfect Dark game director had worked on the Tomb Raider franchise for twelve years before leaving in 2015. He then had a nearly three-year break from the industry before returning. Neuburger has not announced where his career takes him next, nor have The Initiative announced a replacement, as the return of Perfect Dark hits a critical point in development.
Neuburger is not the first high-profile departure from The Initiative since the studio’s inception. Drew Murray, who was design director on Perfect Dark, left in February 2021 to return to Insomniac Games as a principal designer.
Our first look at the reboot of Perfect Dark was a reveal trailer at The Game Awards 2020. The trailer set the tone for the world and confirmed The Initiative as the developer. Alongside this, Xbox released an interview with a member of the team — which was coincidentally Neuburger — discussing the development journey of Perfect Dark so far.
The Initiative is a new studio formed by Microsoft at the start of 2018. At the time, the tech giant said the studio would deliver ‘AAAA’ games. The studio is headed by Darrell Gallagher, previously of Crystal Dynamics and Activision. Before confirmation of the Perfect Dark reboot, rumors had swirled for months the studio was working on a return for the dormant franchise.
In other news, check out what Xbox games will work on the Steam Deck. Meanwhile, read on the latest Nintendo Switch trial available for players.
