While previous rumours have indicated that attempts to revive the Perfect Dark franchise have failed since the title’s development at The Initiative was cancelled earlier this year, it looks like there might be some hope for it yet. According to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, Darrel Gallagher, the former head of The Initiative, has been hired by Take-Two Interactive.
Gallagher was hired alongside former Perfect Dark developer at The Initiative Brian Horton by the company to form a brand new studio under the 2K umbrella. While it is currently unknown what new project Gallagher will be working on alongside Horton, he did made confirm that he had joined 2K as a senior vice president and studio head.
“I’m excited to share that I will be joining 2K as SVP, Studio Head, where I’ll be building a new studio and leading an ambitious opportunity unlike anything I’ve taken on before,” wrote Gallagher on LinkedIn. “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!”
Horton has similarly taken to LinkedIn to announce his new position as head of creative at 2K where he will be working alongside Gallagher at a new studio. “Happy to announce I joined 2K as VP, Head of Creative at a new studio with Darrell Gallagher!”
Gallagher had announced his departure from The Initiative back in September – just a couple of months after reports of the studio’s Perfect Dark game being cancelled first came to light. At the time, Gallagher wrote about being proud of the time he had spent under the Xbox Game Studios banner alongside the other developers who were working on the game.
“While this chapter is ending sooner than hoped, the spirit, talent, and achievements of the team will live on well beyond the project,” he wrote. “I’m grateful to Xbox for the opportunity, to our partners for their support, and to the community for their belief in what we were creating.”
“I leave with nothing but pride in what we accomplished together and excitement for what’s next — both for myself and for the amazing developers I was fortunate enough to work with. Here’s to new adventures and to celebrating the journey we’ve shared.”
In the meantime, Crystal Dynamics had been hit with another round of lay-offs, and while it didn’t seem connected to Perfect Dark at the time, reports later on indicated that the lay-offs happened because of a deal being facilitated by Embracer Group falling through. The deal, according to the report, would have involved Embracer acquiring the Perfect Dark IP from Xbox before then selling it to Take-Two Interactive, who would then fund the development of a new game in the series.
It is worth noting that while Gallagher and Horton may be creating a new studio under 2K, whether or not they are working on a new Perfect Dark game is currently unknown. For more details on the cancelled project, check out a report from September that indicated that the title would have a seasonal model, and would have given players time slowing abilities.
Earlier this year I broke the news that Take-Two was close to rescuing Xbox’s Perfect Dark but the deal fell apart.Now, a new development: Take-Two has hired Perfect Dark studio head Darrell Gallagher and director Brian Horton to start a brand new studio within 2K.
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier.bsky.social) 2025-12-08T21:51:37.009Z
