Perfect Dark Studio: 2024 Demo Mixed Legit Gameplay with Fakery

A developer who contributed to Microsoft's now-canceled Perfect Dark reboot has responded to claims that last year's gameplay demo was "fake," clarifying that the preview was a vertical slice running "in-engine."

Perfect Dark was among several projects discontinued by Microsoft this week, part of the company's recent significant reductions to Xbox staff and game development. The project, led by The Initiative—a studio Microsoft is now closing—in collaboration with Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics, had been rarely shown since its initial announcement in 2020.

This changed last year when a "gameplay reveal" video was featured during the Xbox Games Showcase in June 2024. This video later raised questions about how much of the content reflected actual, functional game mechanics.

Earlier this week, Kotaku reporter Ethan Gach stated on social media that he had heard last year's demo was "basically fake." The authenticity of the gameplay demo was further examined by former Perfect Dark developer Adam McDonald, now a senior game designer at Studio MDHR, the creators of Cuphead.

"The demo was genuinely in-engine," McDonald explained. "As one of three level designers on the project, I can confirm it functioned best when played exactly as shown in the video, but it still operated correctly even with minor deviations."

"There were some staged elements," he continued, "and the showcased gameplay systems were just polished enough to appear impressive in the video. We made genuine design decisions to avoid misleading players about the final game. The parkour mechanics were fully functional, and the hacking/deception features were largely operational."

"The combat was 'real' in the sense that the actions in the video were performed live, but it was scripted for that specific sequence and didn't handle alternative approaches as smoothly."

Perfect Dark Reboot Gameplay Reveal Screenshots - Xbox Games Showcase 2024

View 12 Images

According to McDonald, the situation is nuanced. Like many vertical slices designed to showcase projects still in development, it was built to demonstrate how the final game would feel, provided the project reached completion.

McDonald's comments suggest the development team aimed to present an accurate representation of what Perfect Dark would become. However, some elements were clearly still in progress, even if they were intended to be representative.

"I've noticed significant controversy claiming 'THIS WHOLE THING WAS FAKE,' which is frustrating, so I felt compelled to clarify," McDonald stated. In a follow-up response, he described it as "a fairly standard vertical slice" and added, "I don't believe we were particularly deceptive with its presentation."

He further noted: "The demo was more authentic than many assume. We were developing features on a tight timeline to include them in the demo, striving not to mislead players. While there were some scripted moments, much of the content was legitimate."

Following the cancellation of Perfect Dark, Rare's long-awaited Everwild, an MMO from Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls Online team, and cuts to other projects, it is expected that all games featured at this year's Xbox Games Showcase in June will continue development. As for other titles, we have compiled a list of every major upcoming Xbox game to monitor their current status.