The Perfect Dark trailer shown in 2024 would have been fake, according to Kotaku

The video presented during the Xbox Games Showcase did not reflect the real state of development, according to new revelations.

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In the midst of the aftermath of the massive layoffs at Microsoft, new information has come to light about one of the most talked-about projects – and now cancelled – from the Xbox division. We’re referring to the reboot of Perfect Dark, developed by The Initiative, a studio that has also been officially closed.

The information was revealed by Ethan Gach, a journalist from Kotaku, who claims that the game trailer presented in June 2024 was “basically fake”. According to his sources, the video did not accurately represent the actual state of development, and was created specifically for the event with the intention of simulating progress that did not actually exist.

The Perfect Dark trailer was designed to impress, not to reflect the actual development

Gach states that he had already heard these details in 2024, but has decided to share them publicly now, after the cancellation of the project and the closure of the studio were confirmed. The video was presented as a playable demo, when in reality it would have been an artificial sequence created solely for the occasion.

The trailer is this:

The development of Perfect Dark never managed to stabilize, despite the collaboration of Crystal Dynamics. The Initiative studio, founded in 2018 with great ambitions, did not manage to publish any games and has been one of the affected by the Microsoft cuts announced this week.

This case adds to a series of worrying revelations for the Xbox environment, which has also seen the cancellation of other projects such as Everwild or the unannounced game from ZeniMax Online. The transparency of the materials shown to the public is once again in question, just when the community is demanding more clarity about the future of the brand.

Kotaku editor: Perfect Dark sizzle reel was “basically fake”.
by u/ThinWhiteDuke00 in GamingLeaksAndRumours