A new report reveals that the Perfect Dark reboot has hit “roadblock after roadblock” and is still in pre-production.
Back at E3 2018, Microsoft announced the formation of a new development studio in Santa Monica, California, called The Initiative, which was headed by ex-Crystal Dynamics chief Darrell Gallagher. Then, in December 2020, the studio revealed it was working on a reboot of Rare’s classic N64 spy shooter Perfect Dark, via a CGI trailer.
Since then, little has been heard of the Perfect Dark reboot, which was noticably absent from Microsoft’s Xbox Showcase the other week. Now, an investigation by IGN has revealed why – the game is still in pre-production, nearly three years after its announcement.
The in-depth article by Rebekah Valentine recounts how the developers at The Initiative failed to settle on a creative vision for the game, constantly backtracking and changing direction on the title. The project hit “roadblock after roadblock”, with the COVID pandemic in particular being a “a major morale killer” that was a “major stumbling block for a studio already struggling”.
The Initiative brought in the Texas-based studio Certain Affinity as a co-developer on the project, but employees reported there was a “mismatch” between the studios and a clash in visions for the game, leading to “tension on both sides”.
Then the game’s design director, Drew Murray, announced he was leaving The Initiative in early 2021 to return to his former studio, Insomniac. There followed a flurry of departures: the feature says that as many as 35 employees left The Initiative in 2021, and another 12 the year after, bringing the total number of employees at the studio down to somewhere in the 30s at one point. And a few months after Murray’s departure, Certain Affinity and The Initiative exited their partnership.
Gallagher’s former employer Crystal Dynamics came on board as a replacement partner in late 2021, and at around the same time it was decided to switch development over to Unreal Engine 5. That meant that at the start of 2022, the Perfect Dark reboot was essentially “started over from scratch”. In short, the game is “still years away”.
It’s not the first time a reboot has gone through development hell. Work on Nightdive Studios’ remake of System Shock began way back in 2015, and development was reportedly rebooted twice before the game eventually came out in May this year. But it seems the long gestation period was worth it in the end, as the game was released to enthusiastic reviews. Hopefully the same will be true of Perfect Dark.
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