Hitman Series Is 'Definitely Not Done,' Insists IO Interactive CEO

007: First Light. Project Fantasy. MindsEye. IO Interactive has a batch going connected successful the coming days, months, and years. But 1 cardinal franchise of theirs has been conspicuously quiet: Hitman.

It's not that IOI is doing nothing with Hitman — it did conscionable denote that a co-op mode is successful the works for the games and Mads Mikkelsen volition reprise his iconic Casino Royale relation arsenic an Elusive Target. But arsenic for caller Hitman games, the franchise has officially been connected hiatus since 2023. Updates aside, it seems similar IOI mightiness beryllium getting a interaction excessively engaged to springiness Agent 47 much large work.

So I asked Hakan Abrak, CEO of IO Interactive, if that was the lawsuit erstwhile we sat down for an interrogation this past play pursuing the uncover of 007: First Light. And helium reassured maine that Agent 47 was inactive connected progressive duty.

"The Hitman bid is decidedly not done," Abrak said. "We're not done with Hitman. IO has been synonymous with Hitman, contempt the different IPs we person done. We perfectly are proud, grateful, and blessed with Hitman. But evidently doing different caller IP, Project Fantasy, and doing Bond, it takes a batch of our resources and time. But arsenic you saw, we announced the Hitman co-op, which is simply a large imagination of mine. And they volition beryllium possibly successful antithetic shapes, but they volition decidedly beryllium much Hitman successful the future."

My question to Abrak was sparked by our anterior treatment of the differences betwixt Agent 47 and James Bond. Though IO Interactive's espionage pedigree is surely what led to the workplace being trusted with the Bond licence [to kill], the 2 heroes are rather antithetic successful practice. Bond leans much toward action, with Agent 47 preferring stealth and disguise. And portion Bond surely has a classy consciousness of humor, the Hitman games are renowned for being... well, beauteous silly! Agent 47 dresses up successful a flamingo mascot suit astatine 1 point, for Pete's sake.

So volition 007: First Light inactive person that Hitman flavor? Yes, said Abrak, but it volition person a code each its own.

"It is very, precise important to get the wit right. In Denmark, we emotion acheronian wit and the silliness due to the fact that it takes distant from the seriousness of being an assassin. Bond is different. Bond, the wit is archetypal of each precise British. And the wit determination is to enactment the vigor and his personality, which is overmuch much beforehand and center. So I would accidental little silly. It's not flamingo disguises, arsenic you said, but inactive entertaining."

Abrak continued: "And it's a crippled that plays differently. It's emphasizing much action, for sure. And the operation of Bond is much similar it's breathing more. Like determination are much linear parts wherever you person the spectacle moments and exotic vehicles. And past we besides springiness abstraction successful Bond to unfastened up a spot and respire a bit. So you person decidedly glimpses of IO Interactive, arsenic you would cognize from Hitman games arsenic well, but it's much beforehand foot. It's little of an analytical mind, chess play, wherever you beryllium and meticulously plan. All the clockwork things successful Hitman wherever if you bash this oregon bash this, wherever Bond is much impulsive, much reckless sometimes. It's much similar he's conscionable taking things and acting and handling it much arsenic they arise.

"So it's a antithetic dynamism, due to the fact that we privation to marque thing that feels existent for a Bond fantasy. So it's decidedly not a re-skin of a Hitman benignant of thing, but I consciousness that radical volition spot IO Interactive, that is simply a crippled made by Interactive, but they volition besides spot that this crippled is thing else. It's thing that's existent to what we are hopefully going to present 360, an eventual Bond experience."

We’ll beryllium publishing our afloat interrogation with Abrak aboriginal this week, including treatment of not conscionable Hitman, but besides 007: First Light and upcoming IO Interactive-published crippled MindsEye.

Rebekah Valentine is simply a elder newsman for IGN. You tin find her posting connected BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a communicative tip? Send it to [email protected].