Marvel’s Wolverine Creative Director Left Insomniac Games to Join Xbox’s Perfect Dark: Report

Insomniac Games is working on Marvel’s Wolverine, first announced at PlayStation Showcase in 2021. There’s been no update on the game or its release timeline since its reveal, but a reported leadership change has led to a new creative director and game director at the helm of the project. Brian Horton, who was confirmed as the creative director on Wolverine in 2021, has reportedly left the studio to join Xbox’s Perfect Dark reboot in the same role.

Leadership Change at Wolverine

Horton has not been involved with Marvel’s Wolverine since this summer, a report in Game File, citing two sources familiar with the matter, claimed Wednesday. The PS5 exclusive now has a new creative director in Marcus Smith, a rep for Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) confirmed to Game File.

Additionally, the game director’s chair at Marvel’s Wolverine has a new occupant, as well. Mike Daly has reportedly taken over from Cameron Christian. The report claimed that Christian would remain at Insomniac Games, albeit in a different role. While the reasons for the leadership shuffle were not specified, the sources told the publication the changes stemmed from creative decisions around Wolverine.

Smith and Daly were previously in creative director and game director roles, respectively, on Insomniac Games’ Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, which was released on PS5 in 2021.

New Director at Perfect Dark

Horton, meanwhile, has reportedly taken up creative director duties at Xbox’s Perfect Dark, the report said. Currently in development at Microsoft-backed The Initiative and Embracer Group-owned Crystal Dynamics, the first-person shooter reboot was announced at The Game Awards 2020 and received its first gameplay trailer earlier this year at Xbox Games Showcase in June. Horton previously served as creative director on Insomniac’s Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales.

Marvel’s Wolverine was revealed alongside Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 at PlayStation Showcase in 2021. The game is confirmed to be set in Earth-1048 — the same universe as Insomniac’s Spider-Man games.

In December 2023, in-development gameplay footage, storyboards, concept art, plot details, release timeline information and more details from Marvel’s Wolverine were leaked online following a massive ransomware hack at Insomniac. The malicious attack also leaked private information of several Insomniac employees. In addition to gameplay, the leak seemingly included a bootable build of Wolverine, featuring the main menu and chapter selects titled ‘Vertical Slice’.