Xbox’s Biggest Exclusive Perfect Dark is in a ‘Very Rough State’

In the works by new development studio The Initiative, Xbox’s massive exclusive Perfect Dark reboot is supposed to be a huge title for the console platform, but it’s reportedly in a “very rough state”.

Over the past few years, the Perfect Dark project has lost its director and has suffered from widespread staffing issues. Nevertheless, the game is still in the works and has been pegged as a “AAAA” project.

In a new statement from Xbox insider Jeff Grubb on the Giant Bomb podcast, it was revealed that the Perfect Dark project is not going well.

Following Xbox’s plans to shutdown Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks and Prey studio Arkane Austin, Grubb revealed the state of Xbox’s biggest exclusive project.

“The fallout from this… I’ve been hearing more and more, for years, that Perfect Dark is in a rough state… a very rough state,” Grubb said. “It doesn’t sound like it’s come together in any way.”

Grubb explained that the studio currently doesn’t know how it wants to explore the game’s first-person shooter gameplay, a worrying report for a game currently years in development.

Grubb’s statement was echoed by a number of trusted games journalists.

Video game historian and Did You Know Gaming member Liam Robertson told followers on Twitter: “From what little I have heard about the development of the new Perfect Dark, it sounds like a future video in the making. Just a big, protracted mess.”

Alex Donaldson of RPG Site and VG24/7 said: “I have some crazy stories about the development of that game I have not put in print out of respect for a team really trying hard to push a boulder up a steep hill. But my patience is getting thin.”

While Xbox has other exclusives in the works, such as a Halo Infinite sequel, Elder Scrolls 6, Fable and more, Perfect Dark was marked as the start of a new generation. However, with no solid release date and a troubled development, it’s unknown if the game will ever see the light of day.