Gab Hernandez 
The Perfect Dark reboot from Xbox Game Studios has been in development hell for six years and while it hasn’t been canceled, new reports suggest it’s still nowhere close to completion.
Rare’s sci-fi action series is a beloved cult classic, with Perfect Dark and Perfect Dark Zero garnering critical and commercial success. While it never quite reached Halo status as far as Xbox exclusives went, and never quite matched the status as Goldeneye 64, fan support motivated Microsoft to greenlight a reboot. Initially announced in 2018, the Perfect Dark reboot has experienced several issues.
Travel restrictions and other issues saw development gummed up. The Initiative, the studio behind Perfect Dark’s development, announced a partnership with Crystal Dynamics to speed up the process. However, the ongoing implosion of Embracer Group, the parent company of Crystal Dynamics, may have led to even more delays. Reports suggest it’s still not looking great for Perfect Dark in 2024.
Is the Perfect Dark reboot canceled?
The Perfect Dark reboot is still in pre-production, or otherwise in an extremely early state of development
Six years into development, the Perfect Dark reboot’s progress has remained worryingly stagnant. On an episode of the GiantBomb podcast, Jeff Grubb claims Perfect Dark “sounds like it’s in a very rough state.” The partnership with Crystal Dynamics has reportedly not resulted in any significant gains in development.
VG247’s Alex Donaldson corroborates these claims. “I have some crazy stories about the development of that game I have not put in print out of respect for a team really trying hard to push a boulder up a steep hill,” said Donaldson in response to a social media post.
Most recently, Liam Robertson of Did You Know Gaming also teased the Perfect Dark Reboot was a “future video in the making.” Robertson previously broke the news on Scalebound’s cancelation hours before Microsoft’s official announcement.
With 2024’s track record of canceled projects and layoffs, the Perfect Dark reboot sits in a precarious position.
Just recently, Microsoft closed down Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks. Tango in particular came as a shock to fans, as Xbox was seemingly happy about the studio’s performance with Hi-Fi Rush. The Perfect Dark reboot may soon join the bloodbath of the 2024 video game industry unless more hopeful details on development come to light.
UPDATE: The 2024 Xbox Summer Showcase revealed the first look at the Perfect Dark reboot’s gameplay, which should give Perfect Dark fans some hope for the franchise’s future.
