IO Interactive, the developer best known for the extraordinary Hitman franchise has opened a new studio over in Brighton, UK. The coastal city is one of the most liberal, open-minded cities in the UK, so it should attract exactly the type of talent IO Interactive needs to bring their next project to life.
Project 007 – Hitmanesque James Bond?
IO Interactive announced their acquisition of the James Bond licence and with it, their next release titled ‘Project 007’. Other than the fact it is based on the popular secret agent of the same name, nothing more is known specifically. As well as this they’ve announced another codenamed title, this one called ‘Project Fantasy’, again, not much is know here other than it being a fantasy-based RPG.
Related: Why Hitman Freelancer is the Purest Hitman Experience Ever
With more topics comes more manpower required, which is why it comes as no surprise that the studio have recently announced they’re opening a new studio in Brighton, UK, with the aim of that studio joining the collaborative effort to bring Project Fantasy, Project 007 and no doubt their unannounced Hitman game to the market, a point CEO of IO Interactive Hakan Abrak touches upon.
“We are extremely proud and excited to open our next studio in Brighton, where we see enormous potential to expand our incredible team and attract the very best talent from the exciting UK development scene. We’re eager to expand our operations to new shores and believe that IOI Brighton is an extremely appealing destination for developers of all crafts,”
With the studio having a proven calibre in the third-person action adventure genre with the Hitman series, Project 007 is something we should all be keeping an eye on. Will it essentially be a Hitman reskin? Will they take different parts of that franchise and put them into the James Bond world? Or will they look to distance themselves from what they’re best known for, and make Project 007 something completely different, standing on it’s own feet?
What we do know, largely thanks to an interview with co-owner Christian Elverdam by Eurogmer a few months ago, is that the game is set to feature a completely fresh, new origin story for the titular agent, and players will be spending their time earning that coveted 00 status.
“And as we’ve talked about it… we’re doing an origin story, because one thing, to show the trust they’ve [MGM] instilled in us, is that we’re allowed to build a James Bond for the games audience, which I think is a profound homage to where our industry is and where the medium is, in the sense that yes, it’s time to have a James Bond character who was not a movie character but who’s comfortably just his own game character.”
We simply don’t know yet, but with the acquisition of another studio and more manpower, it’ll be interesting to see how much quicker the game develops, and how soon we’re likely to find out more information on the title.
What do you think of IO Interactive’s purchase of a new studio in Brighton, UK? Are you waiting for Project 007? Let us know in the comments!
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