Dan Neuburger, the director of the Perfect Dark game, appears to have left the California-based studio, The Initiative, last month, according to his LinkedIn profile (as spotted by Xbox sleuth Klobrille) With his profile page currently stating that he is looking for work in design or director roles.
Dan Neuburger had worked at The Initiative for almost four years and prior to that worked as a game director on the Tomb Raider series with Crystal Dynamics, the same studio which is now collaborating on Perfect Dark.
The director’s exit makes the second major design departure on the Perfect Dark project in the last 12 months, more than a year ahead of the reboot’s expected release – not looking good for the title. With the game’s design director, Drew Murray, announcing his departure from the company in February 2021 to go back to his former employer, Insomniac Games.
The Initiative was established in 2018 and led by Darrell Gallagher, the former Activision development boss and head of Crystal Dynamics.
In a statement last year, The Initiative said:
“Perfect Dark update! We are partnering with Crystal Dynamics, the world-class team behind character-driven games such as Tomb Raider, to bring this first-person spy thriller to a new generation.”
“The teams couldn’t pass up a chance to work together. We’re still early in development, but incredibly excited to use this unique opportunity to deliver on the vision for Perfect Dark!”
Here’s the trailer for the Perfect Dark reboot: