Jeff Ross announced his new job on Twitter on April 5, mentioning nearly 50 job openings at the SE studio. "I am excited to announce that I am now working as design director at brilliant Crystal Power Studios," he wrote. "I'm very excited about the new project and this team of amazing people."
Game director Ross and screenplay/director John Garvin are two veteran creatives of "Gone With the Past," who announced their departure from Sony's Bend Studio in December 2020. Back in the mid-1990s, the two worked at a studio (formerly known as Image) in Oregon, WRITING AND DESIGNING THE PS action game Siphon Warrior and its sequel.
Allegedly, after Sony rejected the offer of "Once Upon a Time No More 2", the two had an internal conflict over the future development of the studio and left Bend Studio. Last September, Xbox announced a partnership with Crystal Power to develop the new Perfect Dark, the first game for the company's new in-house studio, the Initiative.