Amid Microsoft’s recent wave of mass layoffs, it was reported that Rare’s Everwild had been cancelled. While significant in itself, reports noted that even more projects were canned as US studios learned more about the layoffs. According to Windows Central, you can potentially add The Initiative’s Perfect Dark to the list.
The site is currently “investigating reports” from its sources, so we’ll have to wait for more details. However, like Everwild, Perfect Dark has had its share of development troubles. Shortly after its announcement, its design director departed The Initiative. The studio would team up with Crystal Dynamics in 2021 and reported issues over studio structure led to a mass wave of departures.
Another report stated that development essentially restarted from scratch on Unreal Engine 5 in 2022 and that despite an alleged episodic format as of 2023, it was still several years off from launch. Microsoft finally debuted gameplay at its Xbox Games Showcase in 2024, and a recent job listing indicated a possible launch on the Nintendo Switch 2 and PS5. Stay tuned for more details on its alleged cancellation in the meantime.
