The Perfect Dark Reboot is officially on the way, and from everything we've seen of Joanna Dark's return, it's certainly shaping up to be one very exciting future release. The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics are collaborating to develop what promises to deliver a "fresh take on the secret agent experience" that both longtime fans and newcomers can step into.
It's also set to include the freedom to let you play your way, with plenty of choice when it comes to how you approach missions and tackle objectives. With a trailer dropping in the summer of 2024, it's already shaping up to be one of the biggest upcoming Xbox Series X games in development, not to mention of the most anticipated new games on the way.
It's been 15 years since we saw Perfect Dark Zero land on the Xbox 360, and it's certainly exciting to see the series make its long-awaited return for the current generation console.
Read on below to find a full recap of everything we know so far about the Perfect Dark Reboot.
Perfect Dark release date speculation
Microsoft Gaming is yet to confirm an official Perfect Dark release date. With the series set to celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2025, and following the excellent gameplay reveal during the Xbox Games showcase 2024, many are hoping that Joanna Dark's return may surface sooner rather than later. However, it's worth noting that there are reports of a development reboot occurring in 2022, which could mean that the Perfect Dark remake is still a few years away from release.
The only first-party releases Xbox currently has confirmed for 2025 are Avowed (February 18), Doom: The Dark Ages (TBC), Fable 4 (TBC), South of Midnight (TBC), and The Outer Worlds 2 (TBC).
Perfect Dark platforms
The confirmed Perfect Dark platforms are Xbox Series X and PC, as well as a day-one release into the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription service. It's unclear whether a Perfect Dark PS5 version is in development, although it would appear (for the time being, at least) that this new adventure will be an Xbox exclusive.
Perfect Dark gameplay trailer
The latest Perfect Dark trailer is a far cry from the teaser we saw at the 2020 Game Awards. In it, a frankly too-badass-to-be-real Joanna Dark gets suited up to go undercover on a stealthy mission in Cairo. Cue all the techno-gadget and cybernetic punk-infused sensibilities of first-person action games like Dishonored or Deus Ex, as Joanna slinks about the bustling city like a shadow. After years of silence, Perfect Dark is looking better than ever.
Perfect Dark story
Perfect Dark has been envisioned as a full series reboot, designed to give all players an easy onboarding into a series which is set to celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2025. You'll play as Joanna Dark, a dataDyne elite agent sent into Cairo to investigate the origins of 'The Cascade' – a strange series of ecological disasters which have rendered entire regions of the globe inhospitable to human life. Dark is sent to Cairo after the capital city becomes a walled-off paradise, following a hypercorporation known as Core Mantis' attempt to set up a solution called the 'GEN Network' which is said to restore ecological balance. Dark will need to investigate the corporations' motives, and hunt the world's most wanted criminal, Daniel Carrington, in the process.
Perfect Dark setting
The Perfect Dark reboot is set on a 'near future' Earth, one which has been struck by a series of global disasters – each bringing ecosystems around the world to the verge of collapse. That's where Joanna Dark comes in, a dataDyne's elite agent who is sent undercover to hunt down whoever is responsible for the technological breakthroughs which threaten the lives of millions of people. The Perfect Dark reboot will be principally set in Cairo, the capital of Egypt.
Perfect Dark gameplay
The Initiative wants to deliver the "ultimate secret agent experience" and from what we've seen of the Perfect Dark gameplay in action so far, the studio is on track to deliver. This first-person action-adventure game is blending fluid traversal and high-tech gadgets with a mixture of gunplay and close-quarters combat, the result is a freedom to define what sort of spy Joanna Dark is going to be. It looks exceptionally slick, with the first gameplay trailer offering big Deus Ex vibes – no complaints here.
You'll be able to take lethal and non-lethal routes to take down threats. Joanna can shift her primary weapon between ballistic or stun configurations, and utilize unlockable abilities to dispatch multiple enemies at once. There's also a variety of gadgets to wield; Vocal Analysis will let you analyze an NPC's voice to create a deepfake which can trick security systems, while Manipulation will let you mess around with elements in the environment to create distractions. Naturally, you can also use a scanner to learn more details about the world around you – information is key in the super agent business.
Will Perfect Dark have multiplayer?
There's no firm answer, one way or the other, on the question of Perfect Dark multiplayer support. However, there are early warning signs that this series reboot is moving away from online and co-op functionality. Xbox Wire says "at the widest level, Perfect Dark will be a single-player experience" – but that leaves a lot undetermined. Historically, Perfect Dark has been an excellent multiplayer offering – from the split-screen local play of the original N64 experience to the 32-player carnage offered by Perfect Dark Zero for the launch of the Xbox 360.
Perfect Dark development
Perfect Dark is in development from The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics. The former studio was founded in 2018 and headed up by Darrell Gallagher – who, funnily enough, played a key role in the 2013 revival of Tomb Raider with Crystal Dynamics.
The partnership of the two studios came off the back of rumors that had been circulating, alleging that The Initiative was struggling to retain staff as development of Perfect Dark became more complex. Gallagher later told VGC: "It's no small task to build a studio and reinvent a beloved franchise… In this journey, it's not uncommon for there to be staffing changes, especially during a time of global upheaval over the last two years, and there's plenty more work in front of us to deliver a fantastic Perfect Dark experience to our players."
In 2021, Microsoft announced that The Initiative was partnering with Crystal Dynamics to complete development of the Perfect Dark reboot. In a statement, The Initiative drew attention to the "world class team behind character-driven games such as Tomb Raider" which will help it "to bring this first-person spy thriller to a new generation". Crystal Dynamics was acquired by Embracer Group from Square Enix in 2022, but has since confirmed that it will continue working on the new Perfect Dark in a co-developer capacity.
