The Initiative has shared details regarding the development of itsPerfect Darkreboot, confirming the announcement trailer was created before decisions had been made about core gameplay systems. With it now being three years since thePerfect Darkreboot 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, asPerfect Darkstill has years of development left before it’s near completion.
Perfect Darkwasn’t part of the first round of Xbox Series X/S game announcements. Instead of being revealed summer 2020, it wasshown during The Game Awards 2020in December. The announcement trailer revealed little about the reboot. It touched onPerfect 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. ThePerfect Darkreboot had hardly begun development.
RELATED:Rumor: Major Xbox Exclusives Are ‘Miles Away’ from Release
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.” ThatPerfect Darkwas still in its nascent development stagewhen the trailer was released should explain why almost nothing has been shared about the game in the three years since.
That doesn’t mean thatPerfect Darkfans should expect an update on the new game anytime soon, however. IGN’s reporting claims that multiple developers working onPerfect Darksay 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 forPerfect Dark’s delays are understandable. The Initiative is a new first-party studio thrust into AAA game development. It also took onPerfect Darkduring 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 thepartnership with Crystal Dynamicsis 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 withAvowed,Fable, andEverwild, too. Three years later,Perfect Darkseems to be worse off thanXbox’s other 2020 announcements, though. It’s an unfortunate situation.
Perfect Darkis in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
