We may be talking about the next generation of Xbox before we can play Perfect Dark

It may not surprise you to learn that the Perfect Dark reboot - which was unveiled in December 2020 - has seemingly had a tumultuous development journey. The game was never shown, mentioned or teased in any way on any stage since then.

In December, we'll be celebrating the third anniversary of its reveal, and it looks like we're going to be waiting much longer yet to actually play it. That's according to a wide-ranging new report from IGN about Perfect Dark, which paints a (sadly not unusual) picture about the state of development.

The report cites 13 people who worked on the game, who describe an environment of constantly shifting ideas and goals, and a range of setbacks due to senior leadership change and core designer departures. According to the report, the game is likely two to three years away from release.

Considering Microsoft built a new studio, The Initiative, with the specific task of rebooting the series, the company likely was expecting something to be released by now. Perfect Dark started development in 2018, two years before its reveal trailer in 2020.

The report says the game "made little progress" since that reveal, despite having the support of Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics, which joined in 2021 to co-develop with The Initiative. The project, per the report, was rebooted entirely last year, with development now progressing on Unreal Engine 5.

Seemingly aware of just how long development has taken (and will continue to), The Initiative is reportedly considering an episodic release of the game. That's one direction things could go at least, judging by reported development plans, but IGN cautions that plans can change.

Last year, Alex argued that Perfect Dark needs to be more than a spy game. According to the IGN report, the developer is focusing on creating a strong narrative, with gameplay being a mix of action combat and gadget-based stealth.