Take-Two didn't save Perfect Dark, but it did recruit the lead devs and open a new 2K studio

2K Games has recruited the leads behind Xbox's cancelled Perfect Dark shooter to head a new studio.

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As most of the games industry contracts, publisher Take-Two Interactive is opening new production groups and planning for the future. Brian Horton and Darrell Gallagher have been hired by Take-Two's billion-dollar 2K Games label to helm a new creative group for an unannounced project. The news comes months after the publisher tried to make a deal to salvage Microsoft's now-scrapped Perfect Dark game; faced with profit challenges, Microsoft chose to cancel Perfect Dark and shut down The Initiative, a studio that had been formed specifically to work on the discarded project.

"Happy to announce I joined 2K as VP, Head of Creative at a new studio with Darrell Gallagher!" Brian Horton, who had previously worked at Insomniac Games before moving to Perfect Dark in late 2024, wrote on LinkedIn.

Gallagher also shared his new career move on LinkedIn:

"I'm excited to share that I will be joining 2K as SVP, Studio Head, where I'll be building a new studio and leading an ambitious opportunity unlike anything I've taken on before. I've spent my career believing in what's possible when great people come together with a bold vision. I can't wait to get started with the exceptional team at 2K!"

It's unclear what the new studio will be working on, and whether or not it'll be a fresh IP under the 2K Games banner. In its financial reports, parent company Take-Two says that it expects to deliver 29 non-mobile games from now until March 2028.

However, it's unlikely that this new project in particular is among that slate; the cut-off date for the pipeline is May 2025, many months before the recent announcements.