The game industry looks like it’s picking up an odd habit in the sphere of release schedules. It seems that lots of developers are inclined to announce their projects early into development and build a fanbase as quickly as possible – even if it takes years on years for the game to come out.Everything fromElden RingtoCyberpunk 2077shows the different ways that fans and critics react to games as they age before their release. Another game that might end up that way isPerfect Dark.This reboot is really long-awaited, but it seems like fans might still have a lot of waiting left to do.
Perfect Darkhasn’t gotten a game since 2010, and it hasn’t gotten a totally new game since 2005. Its fans have toughed it out after all these years, soPerfect Dark’s appearance at The Game Awards 2020 was groundbreaking. However, while the trailer is pretty gripping, it’s also cryptic. It reveals nothing about the gameplay and very little about the narrative. Perhaps most importantly, it doesn’t set a timeline for when the new game will be out.Perfect Darkgot a lot of attention in December for its reveal, but it needs to keep fans talking about it if there’s so little to share so far.
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The Long Haul Club
There’s a lot more games likePerfect Darkout there. For instance, afterworking withSkyrimfor ten years, Bethesda has finally announcedThe Elder Scrolls 6.Unfortunately, the purely cinematic trailer didn’t tell fans anything concrete about the game. Since the reveal, Bethesda has admitted thatElder Scrolls 6is years away.Fableis another game that lands in this category. It’s still hiring lots of developers in crucial positions, which indicates that it isn’t very far along. It could be a couple years yet before fans can expectFableto premiere.
Perfect Darkis probably in a near-identical position to these games.Rumors about aPerfect Darkrebootfloated around throughout 2019 and 2020, possibly indicating that the game has been in planning stages for a long time now. However, odds are low that the game has actually been in development for the last two years if the Game Awards trailer was so cryptic. The Initiative’s highly cinematic trailer could have easily included gameplay clips if the game was far along. The developer has done a good job keeping the game’s secrets locked up tight, but that means it’s next to impossible to predict when the game will release.
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Retaining Fans
AnnouncingPerfect Darkcertainly got The Initiative a lot of publicity up front. Now, however, that attention will start to fall away. The game industry moves quickly, and there’s lots of other announcements and releases for fans and critics to keep up with.IfPerfect Dark’s initial announcementis all it gets for a long time, it might go to waste. Even former fans who regained interest inPerfect Darkwill probably get distracted by other games and stop thinking about the reboot. The Initiative needs to find a way to capitalize on this seemingly early release, or it could be bad for the game’s health long-term.
It’s possible thatPerfect Darkis farther alongthan fans realize, and The Initiative just doesn’t want to show its hand yet. It’s a subsidiary of Xbox Game Studios, and Microsoft is specifically intending for The Initiative to develop “AAAA” games. That means Microsoft will put whatever resources necessary into the studio to make sure it succeeds; it also knows thatPerfect Darkis a storied IP that it can’t waste or handle recklessly. This reboot’s development will probably be rigorous and meticulous. That could mean the game is nearly done, or that it’s years away. Hopefully,Perfect Dark’s announcement wasn’t a little too premature, as lots of people want to see The Initiative’s vision for such a crucial game.
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