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Matt Booty Talks Fable and Perfect Dark Reboots, Halo Infinite ‘Falling Short,’ in New Interview

Xbox is still working on rebooting some of its classic series', like Perfect Dark and Fable, and has acknowledged how another stumbled along the way with Halo Infinite.

In an interview with the Friends Per Second podcast, head of Xbox Game Studios' Matt Booty touched on some of the long-absent reboots, explaining timelines, partnerships, and obstacles. When asked about Perfect Dark and leadership changes on the project, the Xbox boss explained their partnership with Crystal Dynamics.

Booty referred to developer The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics’ efforts on Perfect Dark as “co-development,” and made it clear they’re an “equal partner in the development.” That is to say, Crystal Dynamics isn’t on board for just the outsourcing of assets or other pieces of the project.

“It hasn’t been so much leadership changes as it has been building a studio,” Booty said. “I think one of the most difficult things these last few years has been finalizing a big game on the scale of a Halo or Battlefield during the conditions that we’ve had.”

Those conditions Booty references are changes to studio work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Xbox head noted they’ve tried several new methods around workflow and attracting talent since it began. He also stated this sort of “tight co-development” is something we’ll see more of in the future.

When asked about Fable, GameSpot noted Booty’s praise for developer Playground Games. It’s a studio primarily known for its racing titles, like the Forza Horizon series, but the Xbox boss noted Playground brings “high craft, high quality, high attention to detail” to projects. He said the team had “a particular passion for the IP,” and they “understand what the heart and soul of Fable is about and how they can bring it forward for today’s sensibilities.”

Polygon also highlighted Booty’s openness regarding Halo Infinite and its stumbles at launch and through the update cycle. He compared Halo Infinite’s struggles to the “classic runner’s mistake of tripping and stumbling as you come across the finish line,” also mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Booty acknowledged the challenges around sudden remote work, hybrid work, figuring out how to adapt, and the team size during the pandemic, calling it a “worst-case condition for trying to get games done.” He praised the team for getting it done and shipping it, acknowledging that some of those struggles became more apparent in Halo Infinite’s long-term content plan – where Booty says Xbox “fell short.”

Developer 343 has struggled to meet several update goals for new Halo Infinite features, including delays for Forge Mode and eventually canceling split-screen co-op entirely.

From the interview with Booty, it sounds like the Halo Infinite team has new post-launch plans in place and a game plan going forward for future updates. Halo Infinite’s big Winter Update launches tomorrow, November 8.

Andrea Shearon is a freelance contributor for IGN covering games and entertainment. She's worn several hats over her seven-year career in the games industry, with bylines over at Fanbyte, USA Today's FTW, TheGamer, VG247, and RPG Site. Find her on Twitter (@Maajora) or the Materia Possessions podcast chatting about FFXIV, RPGs, and any series involving giant robots.

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League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Artist Kevin O’Neill Dead at 69

Kevin O'Neill, the groundbreaking artist and co-creator of titles like The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Marshal Law, has died at age 69. UK retailer Gosh Comics revealed the news, noting that O'Neill recently passed away after a long illness.

O'Neill enjoyed a long and prolific career in the British comics scene, honing his uniquely grim art style on the sci-fi magazine 2000AD and frequently collaborating with writer Pat Mills on stories like Nemesis the Warlock. O'Neill pivoted to working at DC Comics in the '80s, where he would collaborate on several highly influential stories with writer Alan Moore. Mills and O'Neill also introduced the darkly violent superhero satire Marshal Law at Marvel's Epic Comics imprint in 1987.

O'Neill and Moore eventually debuted The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen at DC's America's Best Comics imprint in 1996. That limited series is set in a Victorian-era world where all fictional characters coexist and features a team of heroes that includes Allan Quarterman, Mina Murray, the Invisible Man, Captain Nemo and Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde. O'Neill's art drew widespread acclaim for its distinctive mood and dense, cameo-heavy panels, as well as the many faux-advertisements sprinkled throughout each issue.

LoEG would go on to inspire several sequels and spinoffs and a 2003 film adaptation, though Moore and O'Neill subsequently disowned the film and severed ties with DC. The creators would publish the remainder of their LoEG comics through Top Shelf Productions and Knockabout Comics.

Given the mature and often violent nature of his art, it should come as little surprise that O'Neill often butted heads with publishers and the Comics Code Authority over the content of his stories. 1986's Tales of the Green Lantern Corps Annual #2 is one particularly noteworthy example, as the CCA refused to lend its approval to O'Neill and Moore's story, citing a distaste for O'Neill's style as a whole. DC ultimately opted to publish the issue without the Code seal (a very rare move in those days). That issue would go on to form the basis for Geoff Johns' Blackest Night crossover in 2009.

Many creators and publishers have taken to Twitter to pay tribute to O'Neill's life and career. Top Shelf tweeted, "We are heartbroken at this news. Kevin O'Neill's talent was monumental and his imagination was truly extraordinary. He could draw anything, in any style, yet always be unmistakably himself. We join the global comics community in mourning his loss and treasuring his memory."

While the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie was both a critical and commercial failure, that's not stopping Hollywood from having another go at the franchise. Hulu is developing an LoEG reboot series, with Revolutionary Road's Justin Haythe attached as writer.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.