Microsoft's "AAAA" development studio, The Initiative, is creating a Perfect Dark reboot as its first game. The project's announcement came via The Game Awards 2020, where a trailer revealed the new feel The Initiative is going for in its Xbox-exclusive reimagining. Details about the game are limited, but some significant information about the Perfect Dark reboot's gameplay, setting, and release date has already been made available.
The Perfect Dark reboot reveal trailer showed off the game's "eco sci-fi" world through the blurry lens of a wandering drone camera. As a voice narrates, viewers see a rapidly changing Earth from space, then the drone flying through the streets of a densely packed city in what appears to be the dried riverbed of the Nile, entering a tall, futuristic building full of dead soldiers and mysterious science projects. The trailer ends with the camera focused on series protagonist Joanna Dark as she watches a violent storm swirling over the Egyptian pyramids.
Though it does a good job of covering the new game's world, the trailer doesn't give many specifics about its story or gameplay. An official Xbox interview with The Initiative, however, has provided more insight into Perfect Dark's premise and how the developer is bringing the franchise up to modern standards. Here's everything known so far about Perfect Dark's release date, story, and gameplay so far.
Perfect Dark Reboot: Release Date Info
There is currently no confirmed release date for Perfect Dark. In the developer interview video, game director Dan Neuburger said, "We've been sharpening our vision of what our game is and figuring out what is going to make it unique. [...] Now we actually have the horsepower to go and make this vision that we have for this game." It's unknown when the interviews were conducted or how current the information in the video is, but this statement makes it seem like Perfect Dark development was only exiting pre-production at the time. If true, it's likely quite far from release, meaning fans may be looking at a 2022 or 2023 Perfect Dark release date.
Perfect Dark Reboot: Story & Setting
The Perfect Dark reboot is what The Initiative called an "eco sci-fi" story, meaning it largely focuses on futuristic environmental issues. The game's world has been hit by an ecological disaster that, given the trailer's time lapse of melting icecaps, massive storms, wildfires, and dried-up bodies of water, appears to be global warming-related. In its wake, corporations (including the original game's evil dataDyne, as indicated by the aforementioned futuristic building's logo) have stepped in with solutions like plentiful solar panels and, seemingly, rapidly-growing plant life. But these solutions apparently have a hidden cost most citizens are unaware of. This is where Joanna comes in, as she'll need to investigate and infiltrate these companies to put a stop to their misdeeds.
What isn't clear about the reboot is whether its story is a continuation of the original Perfect Dark games or a brand-new tale. There's no mention of aliens in the trailer, and the eco sci-fi premise certainly seems to be taking things in a more grounded direction, so the reboot could entirely reimagine the old games' narrative. That said, dataDyne originally used alien technology to fuel its corporate growth, so the same could be true for its ecological innovations further in the future.
Perfect Dark Reboot: Gameplay Details
As The Initiative pointed out, there aren't any big game franchises currently delivering a "blockbuster secret agent vision," so espionage is the focus of Perfect Dark, in its gameplay as well as its story. Drew Murray, Perfect Dark's design director, said the team is using Joanna's movement abilities - sliding, jumping, etc. - to differentiate Perfect Dark's first-person, "spy-fighting" combat from other FPS games. The team also mentioned its love of the original games' gadgets, stealth, and "wild" guns, so these will all likely make a reappearance. The trailer already appears to indicate Perfect Dark's Laptop Gun is returning, so fans can probably expect other favorites to return.
Perfect Dark does not yet have a release date, but it will come to Xbox Series X|S and be available via Xbox Game Pass at launch.