The Perfect Dark reboot release was conspicuously absent from Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase a couple of weeks ago. Now, it seems like the reason for that is it’s still “in the earliest stages” of development, as sources claim the release date is likely years away.
The Perfect Dark reboot has been reportedly rebooted
Perfect Dark was first revealed in 2020 with a CG trailer that was “very obviously way far ahead of anywhere the game was at,” one developer from The Initiative told IGN. Since then, very little has been said about the game. This is seemingly because there’s been very little progression –and a variety of issues have led to the game being rebooted.
At the start of development, The Initiative paired up with Certain Affinity. However, problems reportedly arose between both studios. Conflicting creative visions led to work being repeatedly scrapped and restarted, according to IGN’s sources. While a proof of concept did emerge in spring 2021, tensions apparently arose between teams as senior leadership clashed. The studios’ partnership came to an end shortly after, while a large number of departures like game director Dan Neuburger led to The Initiative’s team size decreasing by half.
Crystal Dynamics then came on board in 2021, and The Initiative went on a recruitment drive. With more development resources, the teams decided to develop on Unreal Engine 5. The proof of concept had to allegedly be completely reworked, however. This meant the reboot was essentially rebooted itself, according to IGN.
However, progress is now being made, with Microsoft Studios head Matt Booty saying the two studios have “hit their rhythm.” The game is further along than the original proof of concept but is still in pre-production, according to sources, and is why the release date is still estimated to be at least two to three years away.
