It’s been nearly 21 years since her original mission on N64, but Joanna Dark will be returning for a new adventure in the futuristic world of high-tech corporate espionage. The Initiative, Microsoft’s world-class “AAAA” game studio, has confirmed that it is developing a Perfect Dark title for next-generation Xbox consoles.
The Initiative hasn’t given us much to go on aside from a teaser trailer and developer interview, but they seem to suggest that Joanna will be going up against familiar threats in a world that’s been crippled by some sort of ecological disaster. A logo for dataDyne Corporation, the franchise’s primary antagonist, can be seen near the end of the teaser.
As for gameplay, Design Director Drew Murray has confirmed that Perfect Dark will be a first-person shooter, which rules out any potential rumors of the game abandoning its roots for a third-person, action-adventure approach. It also sounds like The Initiative is gunning for a dynamic experience.
“One of the things we thought about was how to differentiate what we call ‘spy fighting’ versus what you would see in a traditional first-person shooter,” Design Director Drew Murray explained.
“Sliding under things. Jumping over things! We really wanted to play up the physicality and being in the world. Getting some of that camera movement that we see watching body cameras, GoPros, and trying to get that excitment of moving in places and in ways that you and I don’t.”
What we really want to know is whether The Initiative would be willing to hire ex-Rare composer Grant Kirkhope to score Perfect Dark. Kirkhope was responsible for the original game’s soundtrack, as well as other legendary titles N64 titles such as Goldeneye 007 and Banjo-Kazooie. He recently worked on World of Warcraft: Shadowlands for Blizzard Entertainment.