During today’s Xbox Showcase, Microsoft finally pulled back the curtain on the Perfect Dark reboot. The game marks the first new entry in the series since 2005’s Perfect Dark Zero. Expectations are understandably high as a result, and today’s showcase finally gave fans an idea how the game is coming along. In the trailer, series star Joanna Dark can be seen using stealth and gadgets to accomplish her goals, and all of the gameplay takes place from a first-person perspective. So far, it seems very authentic to the previous series entries, but it could be a while before players get to find out for themselves; there’s no set release date, but we do know it’ll be a day one release on Xbox Game Pass.ย
The trailer for the Perfect Dark reboot can be found below.
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Who is Developing Perfect Dark?
Perfect Dark is being co-developed by The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics. The reboot was first announced back in 2020 at The Game Awards, though Crystal Dynamics’ role wasn’t revealed until 2021. The studio’s involvement led to some concern among franchise fans, though the move made sense, given the fact that members of the two studios have some history with one another. Whether or not that will prove beneficial to the game remains to be seen, but thankfully an end is nearly in sight!
The Perfect Dark franchise began life in 2000, on the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color. Perfect Dark was once a Nintendo exclusive, but Microsoft obtained the rights to the series when it purchased Rare in 2002. In addition to Perfect Dark Zero for the Xbox 360, a remaster of the original Perfect Dark released on Xbox One in 2010. While Rare has done a lot with Xbox over the last 21 years, very few of the company’s older IPs have been used over the last few years. For longtime Rare fans, there’s a lot of hope that will change, even if that happens under different development teams.
The Future of Perfect Dark
Today’s Perfect Dark trailer definitely seems promising! Joanna Dark has a cool new look, but the gameplay glimpse should make a lot of people happy. Hopefully Xbox can manage to stick the landing and make a whole new generation of gamers fall in love with Joanna Dark.ย
Are you a fan of the original Perfect Dark games? What did you think of today’s trailer? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter atย @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky atย @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram atย @Dachampgaming!
