Xbox Game Studios’ new Perfect Dark game — the project that was first revealed in 2020 as the debut title from internal studio The Initiative — has been canceled. Matt Booty, head of Xbox Game Studios, confirmed the game’s cancellation and the closure of The Initiative in a note to employees, according to a report from Windows Central.
“We have made the decision to stop development of Perfect Dark and Everwild as well as wind down several unannounced projects across our portfolio,” Booty said. “As part of this, we are closing one of our studios, The Initiative. These decisions, along with other changes across our teams, reflect a broader effort to adjust priorities and focus resources to set up our teams for greater success within a changing industry landscape. We did not make these choices lightly, as each project and team represent years of effort, imagination, and commitment.”
The reboot of Rare’s Perfect Dark franchise was revealed at The Game Awards 2020, two years after Microsoft founded The Initiative, the Santa Monica, California-based studio led by Darrell Gallagher, former studio head at Crystal Dynamics. Xbox Game Studios re-revealed the new Perfect Dark during a 2024 showing of the game, which was said to focus on ecological sci-fi themes.
Last year, Booty said Perfect Dark would focus on “a near-future war over advanced tech that threatens the lives of millions.” Playing as heroine Joanna Dark, players would employ stealth, parkour, high-tech gadgetry, and good old-fashioned firearms to fend off global disaster. The game was planned to feature elements of first-person shooters, immersive sims, and stealth-action.
Perfect Dark was being developed by The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics for Xbox Series X and Windows PC. The game never had an announced release date.
The original Perfect Dark was released on Nintendo 64 in 2000. A remaster was released for Xbox 360 in 2010. Rare followed up the original game with a spinoff for Game Boy Color in 2000 and a prequel, Perfect Dark Zero, in 2005.