The Initiative, the new premiere studio within Xbox Game Studios, has created much speculation about what they could be working on for their first project. The prevailing rumor at the moment, is that they are developing a Perfect Dark reboot. That speculation gained weight today given a few pieces of information that were discovered on the studio’s upcoming title.
A LinkedIn profile for Christopher Ng, a former Technical Designer at The Initiative, provided the following insight in addition to calling out the use of Unreal Engine 4:
“Designed and scripted various weapons, gadgets, and a camera surveillance system for an unannounced project.”
Credit to Kobrille on Twitter for pointing out the information. Jez Corden, our friend over at Windows Central Gaming, then added a comment to poke a little fun:
I'm totally in the Dark about it.
— Jezzle (@JezCorden) April 26, 2020
Of course, he was quick to point out that it’s nothing more than a prevailing rumor at the moment.
I don't know for sure if it is PD but, that's the prevailing rumor!
— Jezzle (@JezCorden) April 26, 2020
Our Take
In our opinion, Perfect Dark seems to make a lot of sense. The last release in the series was so long ago now, that the title can be fully re-imagined for a new generation and developed into a AAA, story-driven, spy epic. Joanna Dark could also make for a notable new lead character in the Xbox portfolio akin to Aloy for PlayStation. Lastly, given the cries for games in the vein of Splinter Cell, it seems like the perfect time to resurrect the IP.
This is THE dream. The simple mention of gadgets in Ng’s LinkedIn profile is music to my ears if true! I really hope it’s somewhat of an immersive-sim, first or third person I don’t mind. If rumours of a May Xbox event are legit, we could have some incredible announcements coming our way.
[…] The Initiative might be making a new Perfect Dark, as their new game apparently features “various weapons, gadgets, and a camera surveillance system” […]