Doomed Xbox blockbuster Perfect Dark had “total chapters” of efficiency seize work within the can earlier than its shock cancelation this summer season, in accordance to Joanna Dark actress Alix Wilton Regan.
In an interview with TheGamer, the voice behind Dragon Age’s Inquisitor and Cyberpunk 2077’s Alt Cunningham says she recorded scenes for The Initiative’s Perfect Dark reboot over the course of a number of years, starting in 2023. “Heaps” was finished in 2024, with work persevering with in early 2025.
“To my information, we had been fairly far alongside, I would finished total chapters of this universe,” Regan mentioned, including that she was shocked to be taught that Microsoft was pulling the plug, with The Initiative itself additionally set to be closed down as half of a wave of funding cuts and layoffs.
“I used to be as shocked, shocked, and devastated as everybody else was when the funding was pulled, and the studio was closed,” Wilton-Regan continued, saying she discovered the studio’s destiny concurrently it was introduced publicly. “I didn’t see it coming. I used to be completely blindsided when the venture was defunded,” she added. “It was devastating. So many individuals misplaced their jobs. A whole workforce was disbanded.”
An extra blow would come as last-ditch talks to salvage the venture additionally fell by way of — a course of Wilton-Regan admits she had insider information of. Curiously, the actress talked about that Perfect Dark might have modified in scope had it been saved, with a “slimmed-down” model in the end seeing the sunshine of day as an alternative.
“I could not say an excessive amount of about it as a result of I knew The Initiative was in talks to hold Perfect Dark up and operating in some form or type,” Wilton-Regan revealed. “Presumably a slimmed-down model, presumably one thing barely totally different. However definitely, everybody was working actually arduous behind the scenes to convey Perfect Dark again. After which in the future, I heard from the artistic director that the deal hadn’t gone by way of, and that basically every part had fallen aside, and manufacturing was absolutely stopping.”
A report from Bloomberg, which IGN corroborated from its personal sources, beforehand revealed that there had been a plan to hold Perfect Dark alive through the crew engaged on the venture at Tomb Raider studio Crystal Dynamics, which had been serving as a co-developer. Management from each Crystal and The Initiative reportedly spent two months in search of a new writer and funding supply.
Whereas a number of events expressed curiosity, the probably candidate turned out to be Take-Two Interactive. Nonetheless, the 2 teams could not come to an settlement, not less than partly due to disagreements over long-term possession of the property. As a consequence, the deal fell by way of, leading to layoffs at Crystal Dynamics as all hope of the venture being reinstated vanished.
Earlier this month, it was reported that Perfect Dark studio head Darrell Gallagher and director Brian Horton had now been employed by 2K to begin a model new outfit. No particulars have but emerged as to what the brand new studio will work on, or if some other former Perfect Dark staff joined them.
As for Wilton-Regan, whereas she might have misplaced the Joanna Dark gig, this month’s massive Tomb Raider reveal at The Game Awards revealed that the actress was now the official new online game Lara Croft. She’ll star in subsequent 12 months’s reimagining of the unique Lara Croft journey, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, in addition to all-new blockbuster Tomb Raider: Catalyst, due in 2027.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s Information Editor. You may attain Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or discover him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social