PlayStation’s Wolverine director has taken over Xbox’s Perfect Dark

The creative director of PlayStation’s Wolverine game has joined Xbox’s The Initiative to helm its Perfect Dark reboot.

As reported first by Game File, game designer Brian Horton, who was previously named publicly as the creative director of Insomniac’s Marvel Wolverine title in 2021, left the studio in the summer.

Wolverine is now being led by the design duo behind 2021’s Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, creative director Marcus Smith, and game director Mike Daly, it’s claimed. Wolverine’s previously announced game director, Cameron Christian, will reportedly remain at the studio in a different role.

According to Game File’s sources, the change in leadership for Wolverine is the result of creative decisions around the game.

The game’s previous creative director, Horton, who previously helmed Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales and 2015’s Rise of the Tomb Raider, has joined his fellow Crystal Dynamics alumni at Xbox’s The Initiative.

Horton will be “bringing his wealth of experience to the upcoming reboot of the classic secret agent series,” an Xbox rep confirmed to Game File.

Xbox finally showed gameplay for the Perfect Dark reboot this summer, four years after its announcement. According to reports, the game has been through a challenging development.  VGC reported in March 2022 that the Xbox studio had seen a “fast and furious” wave of senior departures over the previous year.

The Wolverine game was announced during a PlayStation Showcase event in September 2021, as was Insomniac’s Spider-Man 2, at which point it claimed the title was in “very early development”.