News on Microsoft's co-developed Perfect Dark reboot game has been scarce since the game was first revealed with a teaser trailer at the 2020 Game Awards. Microsoft has been hanging a lot of hopes on the reboot to the classic Rare shooter, even going as far as creating a new “AAAA” studio to work on the title. But now the Perfect Dark reboot might just be approaching a point when it can be truly shown off to the public.The Initiative is the Microsoft first party developer behind the game, but its last update came on September 24, 2021, in the form of a tweet. It was announced that the game was being co-developed with Crystal Dynamics, the developers behind Tomb Raider. Crystal Dynamics is a subsidiary of Square Enix.Speaking on the XboxEra podcast, Jeff Grubb elaborated on a tweet he made speculating on a number of upcoming Xbox first party games that could possibly be shown off at E3 if the 2022 online expo goes ahead. Among these games was the reboot to Perfect Dark. It was Grubb’s stance that Microsoft’s E3 showcase will spend a lot of its time on three major titles, namely Starfield, Redfall, and Forza Motorsport.
Only tree major titles would leave Xbox with a lot of its showcase to fill, and it is speculated that this time will be filled showing off first party games expected for 2023, including Perfect Dark. As for whether these games will actually release in 2023, Jeff Grubb is doubtful stating that he expects at least half of them will be delayed until 2024. But a gameplay reveal would be a sure sign of life that Perfect Dark has been missing for a long time now.
Looking back at the reveal trailer for the Perfect Dark reboot, the game retains the original Perfect Dark's unique eco-sci-fi aesthetic. The game seemed very topical in 2020 and is arguably only getting more-so now. However, this trailer was revealed before the announcement that Crystal Dynamics had been brought in and in that tweet the game was described as only being in early development.
It is unclear then if Crystal Dynamics has been brought in to work on exactly the same game that was announced in 2020, or if the title has been completely overhauled and Crystal Dynamics is helping to reduce the development time and keep the reboot on track for a 2023-2024 release.
Perfect Dark is currently in development.