Report: Gameplay Details and Concept Screens for Xbox’s Cancelled Perfect Dark Reboot Unearthed
After years of development and some reports detailing a troubled production, it was announced that the Perfect Dark reboot would be cancelled and the studio responsible, The Initiative, would be shutting down. The news came after a period of major restructuring at Xbox, which also led to the cancellation of other anticipated titles like Rare’s Everwild and Avalanche Studios’ co-op game Contraband.
In the wake of the cancellation, controversial details about the reboot surfaced. Notably, reports claimed that the 2024 gameplay trailer was “essentially fake” and not representative of the final game. However, a level designer who worked on the title later stated that while the trailer did contain “fake stuff,” the footage was from a genuinely playable demo.
This news sparked our curiosity about what was really being worked on for the game. Fortunately, we’ve come across some documents that offer posthumous details about its planned vision, including insights into its gameplay, aesthetics, and some never-before-seen pictures.
An Inside Look at Perfect Dark’s Cancelled Reboot
The following information comes from several screenshots of internal documentation shared by a former developer. The content dates back to a period close to the game’s cancellation earlier this year and delves into the core concepts, also revealing several planned gameplay systems alongside screenshots featuring concept art.
The documentation opens by highlighting an opportunity to capitalize on the Secret Agent genre. The team behind the game believed there was a notable gap in the market due to the absence of major espionage franchises like Metal Gear Solid and 007, two series that are now ironically making a comeback in gaming.
The creative vision was to reimagine the franchise while retaining the core DNA from the original Nintendo 64 title. The primary inspiration for this approach was the HBO series Westworld, which successfully reimagined a classic property for a modern audience while exploring fresh themes and concepts.
The documentation also reveals that up until at least April of this year, The Initiative was actively working on the game’s Vertical Slice 1. In game development, this term refers to a playable proof-of-concept that gives a representative idea of the final game’s quality and feel. It is mentioned too that this vertical slice belonged to “Season 1.” which could confirm previous reports claiming that an episodic format was planned for its release.
When it comes to gameplay, the documents mention several conceptual systems, such as the Relentless System and a Reward System, though only one is detailed in-depth.
This is the Adrenaline System, which would have treated adrenaline as a resource that the player would’ve regenerated over time and granted access to a variety of powerful abilities. These would have included the capacity to heal, increase damage dealt to enemies, or reduce incoming damage. We would’ve also got the ability to slow down time to dodge bullets, aim with more precision, or even increase movement speed. Killing multiple enemies in quick succession would have extended this slow-time effect, with the possibility of activating special execution animations.
Paying close attention to one of the images included in the documents, you’ll be able to notice that it’s a variation of one of the previously published screenshots. In it, we can see the protagonist Joanna Dark, with messier hair and a more agitated expression. The fact that this particular image was placed along with the details of the adrenaline system could suggest that the mechanic would have included visible changes to Joanna’s appearance in addition to giving her special abilities.
The gallery also includes other concept art for locations intended for this first season, showing places like Cairo, a city that could be seen in the gameplay trailer, as well as other futuristic settings. The documentation refers to this aesthetic as “Eco Sci-Fi,” which would have combined futuristic design with a focus on sustainable, green environments.
Looking at all the work poured into these environments makes it a true shame that we won’t ever see this game come to fruition. This is made even worse by the knowledge that it was close to a second chance. As reported by Bloomberg, Take-Two was in talks with Microsoft and Embracer Group to finance the game, but negotiations fell through, putting the final nail in the project’s coffin.
Ultimately, the Perfect Dark IP will be joining a long list of dormant Microsoft franchises that fans will have to wait to be brought back.
On a related note, if you are looking for an insight into another of the casualties in the recent Xbox restructuring, we have a report with a look at Zenimax’s cancelled sci-fi MMORPG “Project Blackbird”, a project that even amazed Xbox executives, but as we know, that wasn’t enough.
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Uncancel it. Now.
Why lol? All they needed was another 6 years to make a working build of another one single location from the game???
And it MUST have been bad. Slimy Phil, who couldn’t wait to show off the franchise DESTROYING gameplay reveal of Halo Infinite…….. cancelled this game. Think about that for a second. So it MUST have been real dreadful if his terrible intuition and management skills of a nat even managed to pick up on it.
im glad it got cancelled this looks like crap
Honestly, with the timing culturally for this game would have ensured it would have painfully cringe writing with endless tropes about Jo being an unlikeable bitch under the guise of being a girl boss. Like, bro, Johanna is cool because she’s kickass, feminine, and beautiful – a literal femme fatale. It’s like writers forgot what made classic 007 cool. It’s not that he’s good looking, capable and clever alone, he’s also able to cold-heartedly slit throats after sipping a martini with a bombshell a few minutes earlier.
Imagine Jo pretending to be a responded rich girl one second, then quietly slipping out of a soiree to double tap a known terrorist before hiding his body in a dumpster and returning to the party with her hair only slightly out of place. That is cool, that is interesting.
Rant over.
That’s Mackenzie Davis
Holy crap. They were doing nothing for like 7 years straight hahahahaha. The concept art would have been done in 2019 alone. The difference I see between the 2 screenshots is a bullshot and what the visuals actually looked like and going by that “gameplay” released in 2024, I well believe it.
The only thing “real” in that gameplay was the 20fps it was barely running at. I called it back then questioning why they weren’t holding on a single action shot for more than 3 seconds. Just quick snippets of gameplay where the demo build didn’t break or crash.