By The Initiative has been terminated as a consequence
- by Fraser Gilbert & Ben Kerry
Updates regarding the Xbox layoffs keep emerging today, and the latest information has left us quite astonished – they mention that both a new ZeniMax MMORPG and the Perfect Dark revival (!) have now been scrapped.
The ZeniMax title was being developed by the Elder Scrolls Online crew, and Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier noted in his report that it bore the codename “Blackbird” and had been in production since 2018.
In the meantime, speculation regarding Perfect Dark’s cancellation started surfacing earlier today, and it has now been confirmed by Windows Central that the game has indeed been axed – and its primary developer The Initiative has also been closed as a result of this cancellation.
The Perfect Dark reboot was initially unveiled in late 2020, and we witnessed a highly promising gameplay clip at last year’s Xbox Games Showcase. Now, abruptly, it appears to be cancelled and will likely never be released after all.
Apologies for delivering this unfortunate news… however, these aren’t the only Xbox titles that have been cancelled amidst the Xbox layoffs today! Rare’s Everwild, which has seemingly been stuck in development limbo for the past six years, has also reportedly been shelved at the UK studio.
This is a distressing situation not just for admirers of these games, but for everyone involved in their creation. We extend our best wishes to all those affected, and we hope there won’t be any more cancellations revealed today.
What are your opinions on this matter? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
[source windowscentral.com]
Fraser is the News Editor at Pure Xbox, where he dedicates his time to covering the most significant developments in the Xbox realm and beyond.