Darrell Gallagher, the former studio head of Perfect Dark, and director Brian Horton have been hired by 2K to launch a new studio, 2K confirmed, though no details on the studio’s focus or other hires were provided. 2K noted the pair bring a combined six decades of AAA experience across franchises such as Tomb Raider, Call of Duty, Destiny and Marvel’s Spider-Man. The hires follow Xbox’s cancellation of Perfect Dark and the closure of The Initiative earlier this year; leadership from the project reportedly spent two months shopping it to publishers (with Take-Two once interested) before the deal fell through and Crystal Dynamics enacted further layoffs.
Take-Two Interactive confirmed that Darrell Gallagher and Brian Horton, senior leads from the cancelled Perfect Dark project, have been hired to establish a new 2K studio; the company highlighted their combined six decades of AAA experience on franchises such as Tomb Raider, Call of Duty, Destiny, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Hitman and Deus Ex, but provided no details on the studio's mandate or additional hires. The hires follow Xbox's earlier cancellation of Perfect Dark and the closure of The Initiative, with Crystal Dynamics also having worked on the title; leadership from both sides reportedly spent two months shopping the project to publishers and Take-Two was allegedly interested before a deal fell through. For investors, the move is a talent-acquisition and capability signal for 2K that could expand its AAA development bench, but it carries execution and pipeline-visibility risk because the project scope, budget and whether core team members migrated are unknown. Given the article’s report of subsequent Crystal Dynamics layoffs and the failed sale attempt, the short-term market impact appears limited, so material financial effects hinge on future disclosures about projects, headcount and capital allocation.
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