The Initiative has shared details regarding the development of its Perfect Dark reboot, confirming the announcement trailer was created before decisions had been made about core gameplay systems. With it now being three years since the Perfect Dark reboot was announced, fans likely already understand that development hasn't proceeded smoothly. Yet The Initiative's latest update may surprise even the most cynical of fans, as Perfect Dark still has years of development left before it's near completion.

Perfect Dark wasn't part of the first round of Xbox Series X/S game announcements. Instead of being revealed summer 2020, it was shown during The Game Awards 2020 in December. The announcement trailer revealed little about the reboot. It touched on Perfect Dark's setting being post-ecological collapse, the return of protagonist Joanna Dark, and the ambiguous threat of all-powerful corporations with dark secrets. It seems the trailer was simple for a good reason. The Perfect Dark reboot had hardly begun development.

IGN is reporting that the Initiative "hadn't even figured out any ... core game mechanics" when the trailer was released, according to a developer that worked at the studio in 2020. The trailer itself was described as "very obviously way far ahead of anywhere the game was at." That Perfect Dark was still in its nascent development stage when the trailer was released should explain why almost nothing has been shared about the game in the three years since.



That doesn't mean that Perfect Dark fans should expect an update on the new game anytime soon, however. IGN's reporting claims that multiple developers working on Perfect Dark say the game is still, three years later, "in the earliest stages" of development. A release date, according to those sources, is still at least two-to-three years away.

The reasons given for Perfect Dark's delays are understandable. The Initiative is a new first-party studio thrust into AAA game development. It also took on Perfect Dark during the heart of the pandemic. But there's more to it than that. The Initiative is said to have seen a significant amount of talent leaving the studio, managerial indecision, and other significant roadblocks. They do note, however, that the partnership with Crystal Dynamics is helping the project move forward.

It's unlikely to be a surprise to any Xbox fans that one of the company's early Xbox Series X/S announcements probably shouldn't have been announced so early. Such was also the case with Avowed, Fable, and Everwild, too. Three years later, Perfect Dark seems to be worse off than Xbox's other 2020 announcements, though. It's an unfortunate situation.

Perfect Dark is in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.

Posted: Jun 29, 2023 1:25 pm
Related Forum: Xbox Forum

Source: https://gamerant.com/perfect-dark-reboot-gameplay-trailer-release-when/