Perfect Dark (Xbox, PC, Game Pass)
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Monkey Man
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Monkey Man
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twitter.com/IGN/status/1673360753682784257
Game is still in earliest stages of development, at least two to three years away. Pretty much as everyone expected.
Why? The answer isn't glamorous, but rather wrapped up in the realities of game development. The project has seen roadblock after roadblock, with problems such as a fraught co-development partnership, a pandemic, technological challenges, an ongoing exodus of significant talent, and unclear direction from management keeping the game in development limbo. And while a new partnership with Crystal Dynamics appears to finally be bearing fruit, multiple sources who have worked on the game recently say that Perfect Dark is still "in the earliest stages" of development, estimating that it is still roughly two to three years away from being ready for release.
Creative Assembly involved early on but there was a mismatch. Crystal Dynamics has basically taken over the game
In the middle of 2021, with Certain Affinity gone and the studio bleeding talent, leadership at The Initiative had to figure out who, exactly, would be doing the bulk of the development work on the project going forward. And in September, a savior arrived in Gallagher's old studio: Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics. According to one former Crystal Dynamics employee, the plan was for their studio to supplement and support The Initiative's vision – not to fully take over. But rather quickly it became apparent to Crystal Dynamics that Perfect Dark and The Initiative were going to need a lot more help than they had realized.
Xbox is "remarkably" hands off
Xbox took a different approach. In direct response to my specific inquiries, Xbox provided contextual information from past interviews with Darrell Gallagher about the purpose and direction of The Initiative and its Perfect Dark reboot, all of which complimented what my sources told me and has been included in the narrative above where relevant. But Xbox also connected me with Booty following its Xbox Games Showcase in June for an interview about its larger strategy for its studios, as well as regarding The Initiative more specifically.
Developers from all three studios involved with Perfect Dark told me that throughout development, Xbox has been remarkably hands-off with the project – not unlike its reported attitude toward Arkane's Redfall. One described the parent company's involvement as simply "giving us money and letting us decide how to move forward and requesting milestone updates."
Finally starting to get moving. Game is FPS balancing combat and espionage with emphasis on spy gadgets, some experimental movement tech, and a focus on narrative. Maybe episodic.
The good news, though, is that The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics – or rather "Team Perfect Dark" – seem to at last be making progress. Perfect Dark is now further on than Certain Affinity's vertical slice from 2021 and with stronger foundations, though it still has a long way to go. All my sources with recent knowledge of its status say it's still in pre-production, roughly two to three years away from release. It's still an FPS balancing combat and espionage, with an emphasis on spy gadgets, some experimental movement tech, and a focus on narrative. Recent plans seem to be leaning toward some kind of episodic format – though the exact form and shape of it has yet to be determined, and could still change entirely before release.
