Perfect Dark

First-Person Spy-fi Action Shooter

Overview

In a world scarred by ecological collapse, take control of Joanna Dark as she hunts the globe’s most wanted criminal through the neon-clad streets of a high-tech future Cairo. Experience the ultimate secret agent fantasy by blending fluid parkour, advanced gadgets, and visceral combat in an immersive thriller where the choice to strike from the shadows or go in guns blazing is entirely yours.
Note: Development concluded in mid-2025 due to Microsoft studio-level decisions.

Role

Design Manager,

Strike Team Design Lead
(Player Abilities and CQC)

Developer(s)

The Initiative,
Crystal Dynamics

Publisher(s)

Microsoft Studios

Tools

Unreal Engine 5.3,
Perforce,
Confluence,
JIRA

Platform(s)

Xbox, PC

Release

2026 (planned)

Contributions

Owned development of flagship first-person combat abilities;
aligned Design, Animation, and Engineering around shared pillars.
Drove UE5 Blueprint prototyping strategy for player abilities and CQC systems.
Partnered with Animation Leadership on motion requirements, timing, and responsiveness standards.
Authored creative briefs and secured external leadership alignment for feature direction.
Produced cross-studio design documentation to accelerate kickoff and onboarding.
Led weekly multi-studio Design Sync to align strike teams and surface production risks.