New details have emerged regarding The Initiative’s canceled Perfect Dark reboot, including some of the locales the game would have taken you to and what kind of gameplay systems it would have offered.
Back in July, as part of a wider Microsoft layoff wave, Perfect Dark was canceled, and developer The Initiative’s doors were closed for good (and that game wasn’t the only casualty of those layoffs either).
Now, a new report from MP1st details what kind of game The Initiative was working on, and it turns out that the studio was looking to fill a niche left open by the absence of newer Metal Gear Solid or 007 games. As MP1st points out, it’s a little ironic that both of those franchises are now active and Perfect Dark isn’t.
The report, which uses material obtained from “a former developer” on the project, also clarifies that contrary to rumor, the 2024 Xbox showcase trailer for Perfect Dark wasn’t fake. Despite containing “fake stuff”, the trailer did show a demo that was internally playable.
According to MP1st’s report, Perfect Dark would have taken place in a variety of locales around the world, including the likes of Cairo. They’d have been depicted in an aesthetic internally referred to as “eco sci-fi”, marrying futuristic visuals with green tech.
Additionally, one major gameplay system, the Adrenaline System, is detailed in the report. Apparently, Adrenaline would have been a resource that players built up over time, allowing access to skills like healing, reducing incoming damage, and more.
The report claims that the material featured within was intended to be part of Perfect Dark‘s “Season 1”, which, as MP1st points out, could well lend credence to the idea that the game was intended to be episodic at one point.
Of course, all of this is moot given that Perfect Dark was canceled earlier this year, but who knows? Maybe some of the material in this report will make its way into another Xbox project somewhere down the line. Stay tuned for more.
