Perfect Dark Is Reportedly In A "Very Rough State"

thegamer.com:

Four years ago, Microsoft announced that it was working on a Perfect Dark reboot, finally bringing the cult classic FPS to modern audiences. A year later, it revealed that it was partnering with Crystal Dynamics on the project, but in 2022, the studio lost nearly half of its staff--including senior writers, the technical director, and the lead gameplay engineer to name a few. Things looked bleak, but two years on, it's reportedly not gotten any better.

Speaking on the Giant Bomb podcast, host Jeff Grubb said, "I've been hearing for years that Perfect Dark is in a rough state. It sounds like it's in a very rough state. It doesn't sound like it's come together in any way since [being announced] and Crystal Dynamics coming on board".

Did You Know Gaming's Liam Robertson backed up this sentiment, "From what little I have heard about the development of the new Perfect Dark, it sounds like a future video in the making. Just a big, protracted mess."

The real kicker is that the Perfect Dark reboot--continuing a beloved first-person shooter series--might not even be a first-person shooter.

After Niki Grayson jokingly nodded at Microsoft having some of the most prestigious FPS developers under its belt, like id Software who created the genre in the '90s with Wolfenstein, Doom, and Quake, Grubb said, "It sounds like they don't even know if that's what they want to do with that."

A developer's LinkedIn profile hinted at the 'reboot' being a remake last year, so if it isn't an FPS, it's unclear what exactly it could be. Maybe it's a cosy farm sim.

We don't have much official information to go off of even four years later, so we've no real idea what Perfect Dark looks like right now, but if reports are to be believed, this might not be the comeback we were all hoping for.