While Microsoft cancelled Perfect Dark while also shuttering the studio working on it—The Initiative—a new report has come up giving us some hints about what the game would have been like. These hints come courtesy of MP1st, who has managed to get its hands on some documents about the development of Perfect Dark.
To kick things off, the Perfect Dark project was seemingly greenlit to capitalise on a lack of spy fiction-themed games in the market, with major franchises like Metal Gear Solid and Splinter Cell being dormant, and there not being any James Bond game announced at the time. The vision was to take similar vibes as these genres while still hanging on to the core of Perfect Dark on the Nintendo 64. HBO series Westworld was seen as an inspiration for how the studio could tackle an older IP with a modern approach.
A proof-of-concept prototype of Perfect Dark was being developed by The Initiative, and this was reportedly happening until April. This vertical slice—referred to in the document as Vertical Slice 1—was meant to represent the feel and style that the title would embody, and was stated to be part of “Season 1” of the ultimately-cancelled project.
A few details about the gameplay were also written about in the document, including the use of various abilities that would be powered by a resource dubbed adrenaline. Abilities used through adrenaline would have included increased damage, a defense boost, and even self-healing. There were also seemingly some time-based ability, like being able to slow down the time. This was also described as being extendable by taking down enemies during the time slow.
Screenshots part of the set of documents indicate that this adrenaline system would also be tied to the appearance of protagonist Joanna Dark in some way, with some screenshots showing her with disheveled hair and a more agitated facial expression.
Darrell Gallagher—head of The Initiative—announced last week that he was leaving Xbox. The announcement came a couple of months after the closure of the studio, and came in light of Crystal Dynamics also reportedly suffering lay-offs in its development team that was working alongside The Initiative on Perfect Dark.
“After an incredible journey, my time at Xbox has come to a close with the wind-down of Perfect Dark and The Initiative,” announced Gallagher. “I couldn’t be prouder of the talented and passionate team I had the privilege assemble and lead. Together, we set out to reimagine an iconic franchise and poured creativity, craft, and dedication into every step of the way.“
“The public reception and excitement for what we were building has been inspiring and deeply appreciated by all of us.”
Crystal Dynamics had announced its own lay-offs just last month, stating that the employees being let go from the studio would not affect the development of its Tomb Raider project. “This decision was not made lightly,” wrote the studio in its announcement. “It was necessary, however, to ensure the long-term health of our studio and core creative priorities in a continually shifting market.”
A report from earlier this month indicated that the lay-offs were the result of a deal that fell through. This would have involved Embracer acquiring the Perfect Dark IP from Xbox and selling it to Take-Two Interactive, the latter subsequently funding the further development of the cancelled project.
