Crystal Dynamics is working on the new Perfect Dark game

Perfect Dark
(Image credit: Microsoft)

The new Perfect Dark game is being co-developed by Crystal Dynamics, the Square Enix studio responsible for the recent Tomb Raider trilogy, Marvel's Avengers and Gex (vale Gex). The announcement was made today by the game's primary studio, The Initiative.

"We are partnering with Crystal Dynamics, the world class team behind character-driven games such as Tomb Raider, to bring this first-person spy thriller to a new generation," The Initiative tweeted. "The teams couldn’t pass up a chance to work together.  We’re still early in development, but incredibly excited to use this unique opportunity to deliver on the vision for Perfect Dark!"

The Initiative is a new Los Angeles based studio. It has yet to release a game, but it's headed by Darrell Gallagher, who spent ten years at Crystal Dynamics working across the Tomb Raider series. The Initiative's Daniel Neuburger also previously worked at Crystal Dynamics, though the studio also boasts former talent from BioWare, Sony Santa Monica, Blizzard and more.

Perfect Dark doesn't have a release date or even a release window just yet, and it sounds like development had barely begun as of July

"In the end and this'll sound like maybe the wrong thing to say I actually don't think it matters what path that we pick," Xbox head Phil Spencer said in July regarding the game's possible direction, "whether we decided to go back and reimagine Perfect Dark or do something new, I think the important thing is the quality of the execution and whether we deliver a delightful game that people love."

Shaun Prescott
Australian Editor

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.

Read more
Cralon key art - some kinda red-eyed monster coming in to say hello
Former Piranha Bytes veterans unveil their new dungeon crawler, and it's tripping my Arx Fatalis alarms in all the right ways
Former Treyarch studio co-head and Black Ops 3 director is heading up a new first-party PlayStation studio
Lara stands in the cut training area from the Paris level of Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness
The worst Tomb Raider game is getting cut weapons, areas and voice lines restored as part of its upcoming remaster
New RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's team of protagonists, including Gustave, Lune, and Maelle
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is already getting a live-action movie from the folks behind the Tomb Raider and Just Cause adaptations, even though the RPG isn't out yet
A tattooed lady covered in robotic accoutrements gestures towards the camera.
Metro 2033 dev pulls a reverse Fight Club twist: It's been two companies this whole time and one of them is changing its name and making a sci-fi shooter in a dystopian South America
Marvel's Avengers screen
Will another Avengers game be assembled? 'We would definitely be open to it' says Joe Russo, co-director of Avengers: Doomsday
Latest in FPS
Team Fortress Spy being shocked
An FPS studio pulled its game from Steam after it got caught linking to malware disguised as a demo, but the dev insists it was actually the victim of a labyrinthine conspiracy
Neighbors Suburban Warfare screenshot a child aims a slingshot at a man from across a cul-de-sac.
A beta of backyard FPS Neighbors: Suburban Warfare is out now, and the balance discussion is hysterical: nerf trash can lids and children
Fragpunk
Somebody finally figured out casual Counter-Strike
Image for
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide’s getting a new roguelite wave defense mode that sounds a whole lot like a souped-up take on Killing Floor
Destiny 2: Season of Plunder promo image.
'We made one big mistake': Destiny 2 developer reveals how a small team dedicated to player retention led to a 20 hour server outage and character rollback
Bears in Space
I downloaded this bear-obsessed comedy FPS to kill time before Doom: The Dark Ages and discovered the most underrated shooter on Steam
Latest in News
Silent Hill f transmission trailer screenshots
Silent Hill f is not messing around – now it's been banned in Australia
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 22: A view of Google Headquarters in Mountain View, California, United States on August 22, 2024.
'Google must divest the Chrome browser:' DOJ renews call for Google to sell Chrome, and Android could be next
Victory screen of Big Rigs showing infamous "You're Winner" message under a three-handle gold trophy
One of the worst games ever made is coming to Steam, but we won't know how cruel this joke is until we see the price tag
Sci-fi character from Dune
Dune: Awakening promises us a breath of fresh air, skipping early access for a full launch with no monthly subscription in May
Baldur's Gate 3 Karlach concept art
'The dream of the tech industry is to sell off your company at an overinflated price and retire,' says actor behind Baldur's Gate 3's Karlach, 'And I feel that's being done with game studios right now'
assassin's creed shadows protector's armor
Assassin's Creed Shadows hits 2 million players, putting it on track to be the series' most successful game yet