IO Interactive, the studio behind the popular Hitman games, has been working on a new game based on the James Bond universe called Project 007. While the game has been in development for quite some time now, not much has been known about it other than that it will feature popular James Bond action sequences as well as exciting tasks and missions for the iconic spy.
IO Interactive has given gamers some amazing Hitman games, and while it can be assumed that it would have easily secured the slot to make the James Bond game, it wasn’t that simple. As per the Project 007 developers, it took a great deal of convincing to get the owners of the James Bond franchise to sign off on the game.
IO Interactive Shares How It Got the Rights for Project 007
IO Interactive has described the upcoming Project 007 as the “ultimate spycraft fantasy” game, and it will set up the foundation for a new James Bond series with unique characters and storylines. However, this wasn’t enough for James Bond franchise owner Eon Productions, as the developers at IO Interactive had a hard time convincing it for the game.
IO Interactive co-owners Hakan Abrak and Christian Elverdam recently sat down for an interview for the latest issue of Edge Magazine. The co-owners talked about their vision for the game and how they got the rights to Project 007. The duo explained that Eon Productions was skeptical of a new James Bond game as it did not want an “action-oriented” first-person shooter.
IO Interactive CEO and co-owner Hakan Abrak stated:
Our impression was clearly that [at the time] they were not looking for a game. And I think it’s fair that they might not have been super-happy with some of the later games.
The pair shared how they pitched the game as less GoldenEye and more of a stealth-oriented spy game. Although GoldenEye is one of the most popular games and led to several James Bond games, Eon Productions was still not ready for a game like it. The developers revealed that the team had to convince it that the game would be more than just a first-person shooter.
The team pitched Project 007 as not having any violence other than when necessary or for critical targets, and it would focus on the spy getting in and out of locations without much trouble. IO Interactive’s game will focus on stealth gameplay like Hitman games and less like the previous James Bond titles, where players run around with their guns and shoot random people.
Christian Elverdam stated:
That [pitch] helped us convince the Eon Group that there’s a sophistication in how we treat the agent fantasy.
Eon Productions’ concern about a James Bond game is not without reason, as some of the previous James Bond games haven’t been well received by the community. The most recent games in the franchise are James Bond 007: Blood Stone and 007 Legends, which were launched in 2010 and 2012, respectively.
James Bond 007: Blood Stone was an action FPS title and had different James Bond movies as campaign stages. 007 Legends wasn’t received well by fans and critics alike due to its focus on the Nintendo 64’s GoldenEye, which, although a good game, wasn’t exactly focused on spy gameplay.
IO Interactive hasn’t revealed much about Project 007, and it is still under development and therefore years away from release. The developers have already revealed that the game will not be based on any James Bond films and will have its own story and characters inspired by the franchise as a whole. It is also speculated that the game would be a third-person action title.
Follow us for more entertainment coverage on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
