https://wccftech.com/crystal-dynamics-being-available-for-perfect-dark-was-too-precious-of-a-resource-to-pass-on-says-xgs-head/

Crystal Dynamics partnering with The Initiative to work on the Perfect Dark reboot was quite the surprise, given that the San Francisco based studio is owned by Square Enix. Speaking to Kinda Funny Games, though, Xbox Game Studios Head Matt Booty explained that it was simply too precious of a resource to pass on once it was available.

I think we're at a point in the industry where if you've got a team like the Crystal Dynamics team that becomes available which has got great pedigree, good success, just a lot of skill, and through connections and you know the fact that we have Daryl Gallagher at The Initiative who knows some folks there they become available...Back to sort of what's one of my jobs day to day, I'd be remiss not to say 'Well, we got to find a way to make this work, they've got a team that's got experience building the kind of thing that we're building, who's worked with some of the people that's now available'. It was not a standard situation because they are not usually billing themselves as a co-development studio like many places are, but we found a way to make it work. And I think it was through some of the personal connections we've got.