Development is not going perfectly (Xbox Game Studios)
As Microsoft’s management comes into question again, following various studio closures, it seems like one of Xbox’s major first party games is still in development hell.
It’s been nearly four years since Microsoft unveiled the Perfect Dark reboot, in late 2020, but everything since then has suggested it’s in significant trouble.
A year after it was announced, Microsoft’s new first party studio The Initiative announced it had partnered up with Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics – which is a very odd thing to do. One year later in 2022, it was claimed the studio had lost roughly half its staff, amid conflicts with upper management.
As Microsoft’s poor decision-making is put under the microscope once again, following the closure of Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin, a new update on Perfect Dark suggests the situation still hasn’t improved all these years later.
Speaking on the Giant Bomb podcast, following news of the Xbox shutdowns, host Jeff Grubb claimed Perfect Dark is still in a ‘rough state’.
‘I’ve been hearing for years that Perfect Dark is in a rough state,’ Grubb said. ‘It sounds like it’s in a very rough state. It doesn’t sound like it’s come together in any way since [it was announced].’
When it was joked that Microsoft has various teams known for first person shooters, Grubb suggested that even that aspect was still up in the air, adding: ‘It sounds like they don’t even know if that’s what they want to do with that.’
These claims were subsequently supported by other sources, with DidYouKnowGaming’s Liam Robertson describing Perfect Dark’s development as a ‘big, protracted mess’.
Both the original Perfect Dark, released in 2000 on the Nintendo 64, and its 2005 sequel for the Xbox 360 were first person shooters developed by Rare, although the Perfect Dark Zero did feature some third person elements.
Microsoft has been repeatedly criticised for how it’s handled its first party studios over the past few years, particularly on Redfall and its management of Halo and 343 Industries.
The recurring accusation is that the company is too ‘hands-off’ on its projects, with reports claiming this lack of involvement led to toxic work conditions at State Of Decay studio Undead Labs.
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While the exact situation with Perfect Dark is unclear, Microsoft’s decision to put an entirely new, untested studio on the reboot was questionable from the outset. And having to pay for an outside developer to come in and help suggests that it immediately became a problem.
If this is true, it’s likely Perfect Dark won’t be making an appearance at Microsoft’s Xbox Showcase on June 9. According to Grubb, a PlayStation Showcase is still set to take place this month, but an exact date is still unknown.
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