- Perfect Dark was cancelled by Xbox, but Take-Two and Crystal Dynamics discussed a potential deal to save the project.
- An insider reveals the game needed close to $100 million in its current state.
- This amount is around 30% of the typical AAA production, highlighting the fact that Perfect Dark needed a lot of work.
Xbox recently cancelled Perfect Dark and shut down The Initiative. This announcement came as a major shock since the title was shown as one of Xbox’s biggest first-party releases.
A recent report also confirmed that negotiations with Take-Two were underway to save the project, but nothing substantial came of these discussions. According to a reliable source, the game needed a huge chunk of investment to be saved.
Why it matters: This type of investment was likely determined to be more than justified for a project like Perfect Dark.
According to Chris Dring, Perfect Dark required an investment of $80 to $90 million after Xbox cancelled the game. Considering the unpredictability of game development, this amount would likely have gone up to $100 million had the deal between Take-Two and Crystal Dynamics gone through.
For context, most modern AAA titles require a budget of between $300-500 million before release. An additional $100 million investment for Perfect Dark would, therefore, amount to around 30% of the typical AAA game’s budget.
This may be why the deal fell through since Perfect Dark was not the furthest along in development. In fact, the project was said to be in rough shape prior to the announcement of The Initiative’s closure.
Following the layoffs, Crystal Dynamics is still working on the next AAA Tomb Raider release. The studio has yet to share anything substantial regarding the project, but it continues to make steady progress.
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[Senior News Reporter]
Avinash is currently pursuing a Business degree in Australia. For more than 5 years, he has been working as a gaming journalist, utilizing his writing skills and love for gaming to report on the latest updates in the industry. Avinash loves to play action games like Devil May Cry and has also been mentioned on highly regarded websites, such as IGN, GamesRadar, GameRant, Dualshockers, CBR, and Gamespot.
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