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

Closing in on three years 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 its Perfect Dark reboot for Xbox during The Game Awards in December 2020, it confirmed the project was being developed 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 journey 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 – causing head of Microsoft Studios Matt Booty to insist the game wasn’t in trouble during a panel talk in September 2022.

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.