Perfect Dark Sequel Was Targeting Episodic Format, Details Shared By Designer

Perfect Dark was first released for the Nintendo 64 with a prequel later released for the Xbox 360 as Perfect Dark Zero. Rare started to work on a sequel to the first Perfect Dark which went through some different iterations before dropping with Chris Seavor, the game designer for Conker’s Bad Fur Day.

[Sciurus_vulgaris]

Unfortunately, I believe it was Rare’s tardiness and unorganized development practices that lead to Perfect Dark: Core failing to take-off. As evidenced by Rare Replay video docs, Rare worked on numerous projects from 2005 to 2010 that failed to make it to full development. If Perfect Dark: Core had been released in 2009 the game may have had a chance to increase both Microsoft’s and player interest in its franchise.

Perfect Dark Zero, despite their being many negative perceptions of the title was a fairly successful and popular FPS on Xbox live until Halo 3 and COD 4 came out in 2007. The Perfect Dark franchise got shelved by MS due to Rare’s procrastination and the franchisee not being as successful as Gears of a War and Halo. Also the FPS market on consoles got very competitive during the 2010s.

[Neonridr]

not to mention that the real talent that helped make Goldeneye and the original Perfect Dark had long moved on to other studios by this point, so you have a shadow of its former self trying to reclaim some sort of glory with PD Zero.

[Sciurus_vulgaris]

What you just stated is not entirely true. The staff that left Rare to found Free Radical and create Timesplitters left the development team of Perfect Dark early on.

[Neonridr]

@Sciurus - yes but what I mean is by the time Perfect Dark Zero was being developed on the Xbox 360 you had very little left of the original Rare team. It was a shell of itself. Certainly by the time the game was polished and finished there was a lot less talent around to ensure the game was up to Rare standards.

[Sciurus_vulgaris]

Rare lost a lot of it staff during the N64, the studio was known for heavily working it staff. Thus, from 1996 to 2000 the studio had turnover of staff. However, several higher staff at Rare stayed with the studio into the 2000s and a few are still at the studio.

[Neonridr]

@Sciurus - as soon as they were bought by Microsoft something seemed to go wrong for them. You look at their catalogue up to that point and it could be argued that they never released a title with as much accolades as they did during the N64 and Gamecube days. The two founders of Rare left in 2007, you are right there.

[Sciurus_vulgaris]

I wouldn’t blame Microsoft for Rare’s downfall, Rare was started to show a decline as soon as the PS2, Xbox and GC console era started. Rare in my opinion was studio that was struggling to adapt to quickly changing gaming landscape. Rare continued to use small development teams for their projects, despite the AAA industry shifting towards development teams of 100-200 people. Perfect Dark Zero was made by only 25 people. Halo 2, Doom 3 and Half-Life 2 for example had much larger dev teams than Perfect Dark Zero. The small dev team size of Perfect Dark Zero was unfortunatel. Fans people were expecting production quality comparable to Halo 2 and wanted a title that would exceed or rival the original Perfect Dark .

[Absonite]

damn. looks like 7 disgruntled former post-real Rare employees are mad at the actual truth...

[BlackIceJoe]

I don't think it will happen, but I think Microsoft working with Human Head Studios on Perfect Dark would be the way to go. We've seen what they did with Prey and were doing with Prey 2 before Bethesda cancelled the game, so I think they could be a smart choice to bring back the world of Perfect Dark.

[bluebenjamin]

Playing perfect dark on 360 was fun to me, at that time I didn’t have internet so playing against all those bots made me feel like I did lol 😝

[Tazzy]

The prequel sucked to me I didn't really like it if Microsoft announced Perfect Dark 2 and Conker 2 at e3 I'd be happy I'm actually getting tired of Halo, Gears, and Forza good games but c'mon get new ips.

[mark_parch]

Perfect dark and Conker aren't new ip

[Tazzy]

I know that and if you read what I said slowly I said they need new ips they keep releasing Halo, Gears, and Forza they're great games but.... Microsoft needs new ips besides those games.

[mark_parch]

@Tazzy
Sorry I thought you said you would be happy with just a perfect dark and conker but you want new ip as well. Phil recently said there will be 14 Microsoft studio games at e3 but if you factor in horzon 4 dlc, minecraft, gears tactics, gears pop, the outer worlds, halo mcc, halo infinite, gears 5, ori will of the wisps, battletoads, wastlands 3, sea of thieves dlc that leaves roughly 2 new games imo.

[jjb1981]

Perfect Dark was my 2nd favorite N64 game. Too bad they never made the sequel. That laptop gun was amazing.

[Tazzy]

I like the RARE replay.