In recent days, the gaming industry has found itself in a state of turmoil following Microsoft’s announcement of thousands of layoffs, the cancellation of projects, and the shuttering (or putting at risk) of several studios. One surprising cancellation came in the form of Perfect Dark, which received a stunning gameplay trailer just one year ago.
Microsoft shut down The Initiative, the studio leading the way on Perfect Dark, and reportedly cut ties with Crystal Dynamics, a supporting studio. On social media, Elias Toufexis (Adam Jensen, Deus Ex franchise) revealed that he’d put ‘a good amount of days acting’ into Perfect Dark, and now is ‘thousands of dollars’ out of pocket because of the game’s cancellation.
‘Gone in a Snap’
It’s not clear what role Elias Toufexis was set to play in Perfect Dark, a reboot of the game of the same name that debuted in 2000 on N64. He posted on social media that he’d contributed several days of work to the project but has now been stripped of thousands of dollars he was otherwise expecting for his performance:
These games getting canceled is a constant threat. I had a good amount of days of acting in Perfect Dark that just got scrapped. Thousands of dollars that I expected and counted on gone in a snap.
..now every game I do as director or actor I wake up hoping it isn’t canceled.
Toufexis has been outspoken in the past about the pitfalls of voice acting and the issues plaguing that portion of the gaming industry. In 2024, he went on record slamming a decision by SAG-AFTRA to approve the use of AI voice actors:
I would humbly consider myself one of the top voice actors working in games. No one asked me about this. No one reached out for my opinion. From what I’m seeing, no one asked any of my peers either.
Perfect Dark will never see the light of day after Microsoft’s decision to shutter The Initiative, which comes as 9000 employees working under the banner of the tech titan are made redundant.
Were you looking forward to the Perfect Dark reboot? Let me know what you’re thinking on the Insider Gaming forum.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that MindsEye could be ‘relaunched’
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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