Perfect Dark reboot reportedly made "little meaningful progress" since 2020 reveal

eurogamer.net:

Closing in on four year since its announcement, Microsoft's Perfect Dark reboot is still nowhere to be seen, and a new report claims a succession of unfortunate setbacks has lead to «little meaningful progress» on the project since its 2020 unveiling.

When Microsoft revealed a Perfect Dark reboot for Xbox during The Game Awards in December 2020, it confirmed the project was being worked on by The Initiative, the Santa Monica-based studio founded by Crystal Dynamics veteran Darrell Gallagher.

Since then, sporadic reports have suggested something of a tumultuous development for the project; Crystal Dynamics was brought in to assist The Initiative in September 2021, game director Dan Neuburger departed the studio in March last year, and an exodus of over 30 key staff was reported shortly after — all leading to head of Microsoft Studios Matt Booty's insistence the game wasn't in trouble toward the end of last year.

And now, a new report by IGN's Rebekah Valentine has shed additional light on Perfect Dark's bumpy road to release, pointing to a project that has hit «roadblock after roadblock», making «little meaningful progress» in the years since its reveal.

According to IGN's sources, while The Intiative's goal for Perfect Dark was to deliver a mix of combat and espionage reminiscent of James Bond or Mission: Impossible, translating that concept into something players would actually do took far longer than expected, dragging on into the project's second and third years as leadership refused to commit to «any specific ideas or shape» for the game. This inability to «communicate a clear vision» is said to have lead to «build after build being thrown out» and mounting frustration among staff.

Amid this lack of direction, The