PERFECT DARK REBOOT IS IN A "VERY ROUGH STATE"

Speaking on the Giant Bombcast, journalist Jeff Grubb spoke about the game in the wake of the closure of several Xbox studios on Tuesday.

“The fallout from this is, I’ve been hearing more and more, that Perfect Dark is in a rough state, sounds like it’s in a very rough state.

“It doesn’t sound like it’s really come together in any way.”

VG247 journalist Alex Donaldson echoed this, describing it as “a team really trying hard to push a boulder up a steep hill.”

Video game historian Liam Robertson said, “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.”

In June 2023, IGN reported that the reboot was “in the earliest stages” of development and was likely still 2-3 years away from release.

While the project was announced in 2020, nothing has been shown of it since following years of reported setbacks that have stalled development.

These anllegedly include a fraught co-development partnership with Certain Affinity, which worked on the game between 2019 and 2021, and high attrition at The Initiative.

VGC reported in March 2022 that the Xbox studio had seen a “fast and furious” wave of senior departures over the previous year.

Microsoft told staff on Tuesday that it was shutting four studios.

Arkane, Tango, Alpha Dog and Roundhouse Games will all be closing down, with some staff joining other teams, according to a memo sent to staff.

Ouch, if true. I remember playing the first game. I thought it was great and then there was the second...

Thoughts?

LINK

My thoughts, 🤷🏽‍♂️

What have they been doing this whole time?

Send them an email to find out.🤭

AAAA studio/game. I think everything would have been fine if they only added one more A there.

The added A = Additional Time.😂

That’s disappointing to hear.

@BIOKILLER123: This is a rumor, not a fact.

Silly person. Rumors are facts when it relates to Xbox. Everyone knows this.🙃

To: devteaminitiative@xbox.com

From: Matt Booty (bootyhole@xbox.com)

Subject: Question for The Initiative staff

Who's ready to get fired? :)

The Initiative has no initiative.😂

apparently it's really hard to build a gaming studio..

that's probably why aquisitions are so popular..

LITERALLY EVERYTHING MADE FOR GAMEPASS IN MIND IS RANGING FROM ROUGH STATE TO EXTREMELY ROUGH STATE.

This has been the standard since MS began focusing on nothing but GP. And its so fking annoying that they're messing the one and only game i was extremely hyped to see come back.

Of any developers in the whole industry, the only ones i would trust releasing a proper reboot is IO. Absolutely nobody else.

I don't understand why people fawn over this game. The 64 version was good, but it was basically just a tweaked GoldenEye. Without the local mp, I never would have played it. The 360 version was crap as well. So even without this rumor, what about this game makes you think it would be good?

@dabear: Its been three years and we haven't even seen a single screenshot. Stop being in denial, dabear, this is the next Redfall in the making.

PD to goldeneye was what dark souls was to demon's souls. Improvements on all fronts and a much cooler setting to boot.

That's ok, I still need to play the original Perfect Dark.

The problem was The Initiative was set up to brainstorm games and pass them off. This was supposed to go to Crystal Dynamics which has been in a lull since being sold and now under wing of Embracer who isn't given much resources to their studios/publishers. They're supposedly working on a Tomb Raider game for Amazon right now as well. But the Embracer situation leads me to believe perhaps that's where the issue lies.

I guess it probably won't be out this generation.

@hardwenzen: Sure, but I still prefer Demon's. With GoldenEye and PD, I barely played the sp, so mp is what I'm going off of. The funny thing is Perfect Dark is the only game I've bought a controller to play, when I didn't own the system. Did it with N64 and 360.

My point is, the 360 game sucked, and the 64 version was so long ago; what is their goal? Are they trying to recreate what we got almost 30 years ago? Will it have local mp? Do people besides us even play games like that anymore? Or are they going the Doom route?

If they can make a great game, I'm totally for it, but what are the odds of that happening?

Oh well..

I do prefer Demon's Souls as well, but mainly because it was my first souls games, and your first is usually your fav, all the time.

The reason why PD was so good for its time is because it offered an insane amount of content in a single game. 16 players multiplayer with highly customizable bots was crazy for early 2000's standards, especially when we're talking about console games. Tons of quality content in its singleplayer, with meaningful unlockable, all of which can be done in 2 players coop. The game truly was the full package (expansion pack required lul) just like what BG3 was last year.

As for what they're doing to reboot it? Well, nobody knows, and you sure need a talented group of people to not only reboot it, but create a successful game that sells well. Since the game was objectives heavy in an espionage kind of a setting, there isn't many of these being made nowadays, so it could certainly have its niche, but it needs to be well executed. I don't trust anyone at MS being able to do a good job for a game like this.

I'm worried why we haven't seen anything for a long time. Ms conference next month will be telling.

All I can is this. 'Keep your expectations low, and you'll never be disappointed' - Kratos (GoW 2018)

@hardwenzen: Haha, yeah I forgot about that expansion pack 😀. That thing was a bit silly, but for some reason I kinda liked it. Seems weird how much I hate the idea of mid Gen refreshes and pro consoles, but this little upgrade pack didn't bother me. Probably some cognitive dissidence on my part, but I like the idea of little add-on components, versus a whole new console. Despite the fact that the latter is probably better all around.

And I do miss when games were the full package. Great game, story, cool collectables, local co-op, local mp, etc. No bs mtx, tip of the day, loot box crap.

I think you're right about Demon's being first as well. Most of the time, if a new thing blows me away, it's hard to top that. But there are some objective differences between the two. I really like the Nexus, and how it's this weird safe zone that has your stash, store, upgrades, stage select, etc. And it can change with your actions. I also like the archway system more than the one big interconnected world. Don't get me wrong, that is cool too, but I like the feeling of starting a level, and then continuing deeper into that level. I think it scratches some Wolfenstein part of my brain. Where you keep going deeper into the castle/world. And there were some seemingly unfinished/half-assed spots in dark souls, like the random group of bull demon axe guys after going through spider lady's cave, just before lava town. There was some goofy bubble squid dude in the ruins around there too that felt weird. There's some other things, but I can't really remember. But that game was a lot more grand, so whatever. Point is, I think there are more factors than just it being my first, but you're not wrong.

I wouldn't care that much if they not hyped this game as the first AAAA game. Now they have to deliver something outstanding or go into history as pretentious liars like Peter Molyneux

Thought the N64 game was pretty good but I really enjoyed the 360 game the most.

Another company MS bought and wasted IPs on (Banjo, Perfect Dark, Killer Instinct)

Must be that AAAA energy.

My guess is too many chiefs and not enough Indians.

Wow wow poo cow look desperate for any bad rumor

What the **** is happening with The Initiative in general? Weren't MS hyping them as this AAAA developer before dumbasses at Ubisoft even had the idea of selling Skull N Bones under the AAAA label? Seriously, it has been how many years since they were formed, and wtf have they released? All what's coming out from Microsoft are nothing but bullshit lies and illusions of success. No wonder they're incapable of competing with Sony, and Sony isn't even doing well, so if MS were on their feet, it shouldn't be difficult. What a shitshow.

Vaporware, this shit is never releasing.

Did you also play Perfect Dark Gameboy Color as well?

Don't you people think it would be smart to wait until MS show next month before you pass judgement?

If Everwild, Perfect Dark or State of Decay 3 isn't shown in June then you can pretty much write them off.

Show? Like this is supposed to mean something? They showed Fable in which century? Is it out? No, and we don't even know if it'll be release this generation, let alone come out this year or next. Every single developer (excluding Activision devs) that is owned by Microsoft are in a development hell, with the worst management the gaming industry has ever seen. And you know what? Its not laughable anymore. I simply don't understand how its even possible to fail on such a massive scale.

@Archangel3371: To be clear, are you talking about Perfect Dark Zero, or the 360 remake of the N64 game?

@hardwenzen: Dude Sony hasn't announced a single game for this year or next, and you talk about MS bad game management lol.

Like I said wait until the show and see what is shown before we pass judgement on the games currently in development.

@dimebag667: Perfect Dark Zero.

@davillain: No.

And we already know why. In case you don't (no, you actually do know very well, but pretend to not know just to have an argument), Jimbo Ryan put all its studios to work on live service dogshit titles, and now that they've woken up and seen that its not the future, they canned almost all of them. That is why there's nothing, and it has nothing to do with a hell hole of a development that MS suffers EVEN at Turd10, what used to be their golden child of a developer. Seriously, i don't understand what in flying **** is going on. Like, it can't be all Phil's fault, right? No way, right?

@hardwenzen: So MS has bad management and then go on to state why Sony has bad management lol.

So what you're trying to say is that they're both as bad as each other.

You don't get it. MS is trying their hardest to develop NORMAL GAMES. Sony wanted to go all in on live service shovelware, not your standard game that wins em GOTY awards, and its those shitty live service titles that they decided to cancel, which is the best thing that could've happened. Now that they're working on standard games, there's no cancelling on the horizon, and don't even dream about hell hole development that's present on the Microsoft side.

Ok. I thought it was canceled.

They better not do my all time fave game dirty...

@Litchie: You thought right.😊

State of Decay 3 is something I'm curious to see for the most part. Everwild & Perfect Dark are both being made by Rare I can put to the side as Rare is still supporting Sea of Thieves.

The main problem with Perfect Dark is the fact MS announced it way too early in its development.

@davillain:

Rare has nothing to do with Perfect Dark Reboot. The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics are deving PDR. :P

If Rare isn't involved with the new Perfect Dark development, than that's a huge red flag as I trust Rare than someone else handling the game.

lol Rare ain't touching PD. Their talent to develop a PD game is long gone.

Nope, Rare has continually been updating SoT and the only known other game Rare is working on is Everwild.

And man, I sure hope Everwild makes a showing in the June show a month from now. :D