Leaked footage offers rough look at Xbox's cancelled Perfect Dark reboot
About two minutes of test footage from Xbox's cancelled Perfect Dark reboot has leaked online, offering a rough look at combat, gadgets and unfinished levels.
The video is made up of several short clips rather than one continuous demo. It includes bare-bones level layouts, gunplay testing and character abilities, plus weapons for series protagonist Joanna Dark across multiple environments. Some sections show destructible scenery, and one brief moment shows split-screen play, where two players share one screen. IGN
The footage was first unearthed by outlet MP1ST, according to a report by Eurogamer. MP1ST claimed the material it found came from the portfolio of a visual effects artist, a specialist in screen effects and animation, with credits across several game franchises.
The project was a reboot, a fresh start for an older series. Xbox announced it in December 2020 as a new take on the spy shooter that began on Nintendo 64 in 2000.
Development was led by The Initiative, an Xbox Game Studios team based in Santa Monica. Crystal Dynamics, the studio known for Tomb Raider, was later recruited to co-develop the game.
Xbox cancelled the reboot in July 2025 as part of wider cuts across Microsoft and Xbox in 2025. The studio was closed at the same time.
For fans, this means a short and unfinished glimpse, not a finished game. The clips are clearly work-in-progress tests. Still, they preserve a sense of what the team was trying before production stopped.
