That Perfect Dark reboot is still in early development and years from release, report claims

rockpapershotgun.com:

The much-anticipated reboot of Perfect Dark is still “in the earliest stages” of development and at least two years away from being released, according to a new report.

IGN spoke to multiple sources at The Initiative, the studio founded by former Crystal Dynamics devs, which is working on the reimagining of the beloved Nintendo 64 title. The Initiative first teased the return of Rare’s 2000 spy shooter with a flashy trailer at The Game Awards in 2020.

According to a former dev, that impressive-looking CG trailer was impressive for a good reason: it was “very obviously way far ahead of anywhere the game was at”. Three years on, the Perfect Dark reboot is reportedly still around two to three years from release, with IGN claiming there has been “little meaningful progress” on the game since that first look.

That lack of progress is painted as being down to a number of factors, including the impact of the pandemic, technology demands, ongoing staff departures and an unclear vision from those at the top of the developer. Studio execs are said to have pushed for a blockbuster approach to the reboot in terms of top-notch visuals, gameplay and story, with the ridiculous term ‘AAAA’ (quadruple-A?) apparently used amid comparisons to Game of Thrones, James Bond, Mission Impossible and other big TV and movie franchises.

These high expectations led to a cycle of pitching and prototyping numerous rejected ideas and builds that dragged on into the third year of development, frustrating devs at both The Initiative and Certain Affinity, the Halo co-developer that partnered on the reboot until early 2021. The apparent tension between the two studios - exacerbated by reports of a lack of accountability, poor communication and low