Infernal Crusade, was successfully released with help from publisher TDK Mediactive. However its sequel was shifted to another developer. Starbreeze attempted to acquire another studio, Rock Solid Games, but the agreement between the two fell apart and brought both companies financial problems. Another project being worked on by Starbreeze at that time was The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. Set in The Chronicles of Riddick movie universe, the game was published by Vivendi. The team took inspiration from films such as Escape from Alcatraz and video games such as GoldenEye 007 and the Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell series. However, the company was downsizing due to its financial problems and the number of employees dropped from 80 to 25, and the entire development team moved away from the main Starbreeze floor to prevent it from being affected by low morale, and to allow it to focus on the game's development. The game enjoyed an 18-month development cycle, which was significantly longer than typical licensed games. A PlayStation 2 version of the game was also in development, but was ultimately canceled as the then head of Vivendi's publishing division, Michael Pole, ordered its cancellation to "make his mark". Universal Motion Pictures intervened and kept the game's Xbox version. Escape from Butcher Bay received critical acclaim upon its launch, with many critics regarding it as one of the best licensed games ever made. Its gameplay elements, including puzzle-solving and stealth, and its ahead-of-its-time visuals, also received praise from critics. Despite receiving critical acclaim, it was not a commercial success for Starbreeze. After the release of Escape from Butcher Bay, Starbreeze again encountered financial difficulties after having not received a significant royalty payment from Vivendi. It sold part of its motion capture and animation department to a British company, Centroid. However, the game helped set Starbreeze's reputation as a studio capable of making good licensed titles. With the help of Union Entertainment, an intermediary company, Starbreeze signed an agreement with Majesco Entertainment for a new title set within The Darkness universe owned by Top Cow Comics on July 16, 2004. Midway through the game's development, Majesco underwent restructuring because of financial difficulties, shifted its focus, and dropped the game. 2K Games stepped up and acquired the publishing rights. 2K extended the game's development cycle, and asked Starbreeze to develop a multiplayer mode for the game. The Darkness was released in 2007. It