The Initiative Games
Latest The Initiative News
News Perfect Dark Lead Actor Had 'Entire Chapters' Finished Before Xbox Cancellation
"I'd done entire chapters of this universe"
The whole Perfect Dark saga has been a pretty sad thing to follow since Xbox pulled funding and cancelled the game earlier this year - and now lead actor Alix Wilton Regan has given us some fresh insight into how far along the project actually was over at developers The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics...
News Take-Two Hires Former Perfect Dark Leads To Spin Up A Brand-New Project
A second take
Following Perfect Dark's cancellation back in July, we heard reports that GTA maker Take-Two had tried to take over the project before talks collapsed, but it sounds as though the mega publisher liked what it saw. The same so
News New Leak Reveals Fresh Details & Concept Art For Xbox's Cancelled Perfect Dark Reboot
Apparently shared by a former developer
We've been wondering when more details might start to leak out about Xbox's recently cancelled Perfect Dark reboot, and it's now begun - courtesy of an apparent "former developer" who's shared some details with the outlet MP1st. Let's start with those details. The outlet says it's seen documentation that...
News Perfect Dark Studio Head Issues Final Statement As He Leaves Team Xbox
"My time at Xbox has come to a close"
After years of promise, and exercising a certain amount of patience, Xbox studio The Initiative shut down earlier this year - taking the Perfect Dark reboot with it. Considering the game looked pretty impressive during Microsoft's 2024 summer showcase, we were shocked and disappointed by the news - and this...
News Perfect Dark Actor Calls On Fans To 'Speak Up' And Help The Game Survive
"Agent Dark doesn’t give up & neither should any of you"
Around this time last year, the actor for Joanna Dark in the Perfect Dark reboot was revealed as Alix Wilton Regan, and she mentioned at the time how she was "crazy excited" to play the role in The Initiative's debut title. Of course, it's now been cancelled this week, and she's returned to...
News Perfect Dark Developer Responds To 'Big Controversy' Over 2024 Gameplay Trailer
"It's annoying me, so I wanted to say something."
Earlier today, we highlighted a claim that the 2024 Perfect Dark gameplay trailer wasn't "indicative" of its overall progress, with a suggestion that it was "basically fake". Now, one of the trailer's developers has responded to this. Taking to social media earlier today, former Perfect Dark level...
News Perfect Dark Gameplay Trailer Wasn't 'Indicative' Of Its Progress, Claims Reporter
Update: PD developer responds
The most surprising news to come out of yesterday's Xbox layoffs was that Perfect Dark was being cancelled and The Initiative (the studio developing it) was being shut down. After all, we finally got a proper look at the title during last year's Xbox Games Showcase, and as mentioned at the time, we thought it looked...
News Perfect Dark Rumoured For Xbox Showcase As Positive Feedback Begins Cropping Up
Perhaps it's not in such a bad state after all
Last week, we brought you a few rumours about the state of the Perfect Dark reboot at Xbox, with some journalists and insiders suggesting that it hadn't been a smooth ride so far, and that the game might be in a very rough state. Well, hopefully that's not the case! Since then, Jeff Grubb of GiantBomb...
Report Xbox's Perfect Dark Won't Release Until 2025+ Due To Years Of Development Struggles
"It still has a long way to go"
We've been waiting multiple years now for news about Xbox and The Initiative's reboot of Perfect Dark, and unfortunately it seems like we could be waiting a lot longer, with the game not set to release until at least 2025. This is according to a new report from IGN, which goes into significant detail about the...
News Xbox's Perfect Dark Reboot Going 'Extremely Well', According To Crystal Dynamics
The CEO gives his thoughts
We've still not seen anything more of Xbox and The Initiative's Perfect Dark reboot ever since it was revealed at The Game Awards back in December 2020, but the project has changed a little bit since that original announcement, most notably in the form of Crystal Dynamics (Rise of the Tomb Raider, Marvel's Avengers
News Joanna Dark's OG Voice Actor 'Excited' For New Perfect Dark
"Technology has moved on so far"
One of the games we're most excited about here at Pure Xbox is the upcoming Perfect Dark title by The Initiative. We're not the only ones, either. Our friends over at Time Extension recently had the chance to chat with Eveline Novakovic - Joanna Dark's original voice actor - about the new game. Although it's unclear...
News Perfect Dark Supposedly Coming Along 'Really Well' Despite Previous Reports
According to WC's Jez Corden
Since Perfect Dark's reboot was announced at TGA 2020, we've not really heard much positivity on its development. In fact, reports have since said that developer The Initiative was struggling to get development going, especially before Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics
News Perfect Dark Reportedly Led To 'Big Disagreement' At Xbox Studio The Initiative
"There emerged two schools of thought..."
It was reported earlier this week by Video Games Chronicle that Perfect Dark developer The Initiative was having problems with staff turnover, and now some insight from Windows Central has perhaps shed more light on the issues. According to Windows Central's Jez Corden, the possible reason for the...
News Perfect Dark Developer The Initiative Is Reportedly Struggling With Staff
Spinning its wheels
A new Perfect Dark game was announced a short while back, due to be developed by Xbox studio The Initiative. Since then, we've heard rumours about the project struggling and now, a new report gives us some insight as to why. VGC's report looks at LinkedIn employee profiles, which reveal huge amounts of staff turnover at the...
News Perfect Dark's Game Director Appears To Have Left The Initiative
Follows on from the design director's exit last year
We've got another brief update about the upcoming Perfect Dark reboot, this time in the form of an employee departure. It seems the game's director, Dan Neuburger, has left the Santa Monica-based studio. According to his LinkedIn profile, he was at The Initiative for almost four years, and before...
News God Of War Producer Joins The Initiative's Perfect Dark Team
"I’m beyond ecstatic to take this next step"
We're all expecting great things from the stacked team of talent over at new Xbox studio The Initiative on Perfect Dark, and they've recently added to their line-up with former God of War gameplay features producer, Rhonda Cox. Cox shared the news on LinkedIn yesterday, revealing she's taken up a...
News Drew Murray Returns To Insomniac After Leaving Xbox Studio The Initiative
“I guess ten years, five games, and six job titles just wasn't enough”
Drew Murray, who is known in the Xbox community most recently for working at The Initiative, the team behind the upcoming Perfect Dark reboot, has announced he is returning to Insomniac Games. Murray previously revealed he had left The Initiative, and has worked with...
News Design Director Of New Perfect Dark Game Leaves The Initiative
"my life outside of work needs more attention"
In a bit of a shock announcement, The Initiative's design director, Drew Murray, has announced he'll be leaving the first-party Xbox studio currently working on the new Perfect Dark game. Here's the full message he shared via social media, noting how his life outside of work needs some more attention...
News The New Perfect Dark Isn't Just Your Typical First-Person Shooter
'We aren't shying away from gameplay diversity'
The Initiative undoubtedly had the biggest Xbox announcement of The Game Awards 2020 when it revealed it was working on a new Perfect Dark, and the team has talked a little more about what we can expect from the game. In a developer interview trailer, the studio spoke about the need to balance the...
News Xbox Studio The Initiative Is Making A New Perfect Dark
Check out the official announce trailer
It's official! After months of rumours, new Xbox studio The Initiative has finally revealed that it's working on a new Perfect Dark game, aiming to deliver a "secret agent thriller set in a near-future world." Few details have been revealed about the title so far - it's still in "early development" for now,...
