Even though fans haven’t gotten a proper look at it just yet,Perfect Darkcould be a crucial part of the Xbox Series X’s game library in the coming years. As a revival of a beloved franchise,Perfect Darkalready has a lot of clout, and its potential blend of stealth and first-person shooting could make it a highly unique addition to the Xbox lineup. Ever since The Initiative announced the game at The Game Awards 2020, fans have been waiting eagerly for more information, but so far, few official updates have come along, save for one major update that’s a little alarming.
Reports have surfaced that as much as half of The Initiative’s original staff have left the studio, parting ways withPerfect Dark.Some of these former developers have claimed that staff left due to frustrations aboutPerfect Dark’s direction in development, as well as the amount of control that The Initiative exerted over its developers' work. This news is unfortunate, butPerfect Darkfans shouldn’t take it as a sign that the game is in trouble.Perfect Darkis far enough along that it has probably escaped the risk of cancellation, and Microsoft’s commitment to The Initiative bodes well forPerfect Darktoo.
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Why Perfect Dark Will Probably Survive
Various signs suggest thatPerfect Darkis actually pretty far in development. Although The Initiative hasn’t revealedPerfect Darkgameplay,Phil Spencer played the gamein February 2020, nearly a year before it was officially revealed. Two years have passed since then, meaningPerfect Darkhas almost certainly made significant progress since then, even if The Initaitive was experiencing unrest.Perfect Darkbeing playable in early 2020 suggests that the game is in a significantly more advanced state by now, meaning it’s close enough to a marketable state that it’s probably safe from cancellation.
BeyondPerfect Dark’s state of development, the relationship between Microsoft and The Initiative suggests thatPerfect Darkisn’t going to be scrapped anytime soon. Fans might remember that Microsoft has proudlydescribed The Initiative as a AAAA studio, meaning it clearly hopes The Initiative will break new ground in terms of game quality and innovation. Microsoft seems to place too much faith in its young subsidiary to cancel its first game; it’d be highly disappointing to walk away from a studio with so much potential after all the hype. Instead, it’ll probably buckle down to givePerfect Darkthe support it needs to survive.
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The Initiative’s Strange Journey
AlthoughPerfect Darkis probably safe from cancellation, that doesn’t mean The Initiative’s internal restructure won’t have an impact. With so many developers walking away from The Initiative,Perfect Darkcould very well face delays and take significantly longer to complete than originally expected. With so little official information on when to expectPerfect Dark’s release, it’s hard to say howPerfect Dark’s goalposts will move due to these changes and how different the final product will look. MaybeCrystal Dynamics can helpPerfect Darkavoid languishing in development, since it’s already providing some assistance.
It’s a shame thatPerfect Dark’s ex-developersreportedly had such a different experience under The Initiative from what they expected. The Initiative probably would’ve preferred to keepPerfect Darkon schedule, but according to former employees, this is the hand that The Initiative has dealt itself.Perfect Darkwill almost certainly be delayed as the studio fills its vacancies, even if it isn’t likely to be canceled altogether.Perfect Darkstill has a good shot at being the strong debut that The Initiative always wanted to have, but so many former developers leaving the studio at once will probably be an odd and complicated past of The Initiative’s history for as long as it’s active.
