Darrell Gallagher has officially left Xbox and The Initiative studio, where he worked for the past seven years. He led the team from its foundation and stated in a statement that he is proud of the results achieved.
His departure is linked to the cancellation of the Perfect Dark remake. Development was carried out by The Initiative in collaboration with Crystal Dynamics, but the project faced many internal problems. About two months ago, the game was shut down, and the studio was disbanded as part of the restructuring of Microsoft's gaming division.
«Although this chapter ended sooner than planned, the spirit, talent, and achievements of the team will remain for a long time. I am grateful to Xbox for the opportunity, to the partners for their support, and to the community for their trust. I leave with a sense of pride in what has been done and look forward to the future with enthusiasm — both mine and that of the talented developers I have worked with,» Gallagher wrote.
At a certain stage, the option of selling the project to another company was considered. Microsoft was in talks with Take-Two about transferring development, but the parties could not agree on the rights to the series in the long term. After the discussions fell through, production was finally stopped.
Gallagher previously held key positions at Crystal Dynamics. His farewell to Xbox marked the end of the history of The Initiative studio, whose existence turned out to be shorter than originally planned.
