The Game Awards 2020 is off to a strong start, as Xbox has delivered on earlier teases to announce a new game. The Initiative, one of Microsoft's newly created studios, revealed its in-development title, but few may have expected what that project is. Introducing Perfect Dark, a brand new FPS from The Initiative. Details on Perfect Dark are thin for the time being, but Xbox fans can expect more information about the reboot soon.
Perfect Dark was revealed with a cinematic trailer that The Initiative says is meant to introduce gamers to the ideas and themes it's working on. The cinematic trailer features a narrator describing what sounds like an apocalyptic conclusion to climate change. However, corporations have apparently offered salvation that humanity has opened its arms to. The conflict of Perfect Dark lies in what these corporations aren't telling everyone, with Agent Joanna Dark searching for answers.
Details regarding Perfect Dark are currently thin, as the Xbox team was clearly planning to capitalize on the surprise of the announcement over all else. Many have been expecting news from The Initiative for some time, but The Initiative's project being Perfect Dark is definitely pulling the rug out from under Xbox fans. Perfect Dark hasn't been a mainstream franchise since the release of Perfect Dark Zero in 2005, after all.
For those unfamiliar with The Initiative, it was formed in 2018. Early key members of The Initiative development team came from Crystal Dynamics, Sony Santa Monica, Naughty Dog, and other major development studios. Xbox has clear plans to produce a major narrative-driven AAA game, and now its first game is coming into focus.
There's much left for The Initiative to confirm about Perfect Dark in the months to come. So far, The Initiative has confirmed that the new game is a reimagining of the Perfect Dark franchise, which makes sense given how long it's been since the last game. But perhaps The Initiative has some surprises there, too. There's a lot of very interesting story and lore from the original Perfect Dark, though its reboot sequel is less well-loved. That said, The Initiative says that it's still early in development, so meaningful updates may be some time off yet.
One detail that has been confirmed, though it's unlikely to come as a surprise, is that Perfect Dark will be released day one on Xbox Game Pass. The Xbox website notably doesn't mention PC, but does explicitly mention Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. Odds are Perfect Dark will come to PC as well, but it's an interesting detail to note, in case it does turn out to be something bigger.
Perfect Dark is currently in development.