Hitman 3 is scheduled to be released on January 20th, and it will be the last entry in the Hitman franchise for the foreseeable future. IO Interactive, the studio behind all eight Hitman games, has been synonymous with its long-running stealth franchise for more than two decades. Although the studio has had other notable titles, including the Kane & Lynch series, it feels as though IO Interactive has become “the Hitman studio.” Although IOI takes pride in its flagship IP, the culmination of the World of Assassination trilogy later this month gives the studio a perfect opportunity to expand their horizons.
Formerly owned by Square Enix, IOI announced in June of 2017 that it had bought out the studio and were now wholly independent. Along with the buyout, IOI retained the rights to the Hitman franchise and would continue the World of Assassination trilogy, which started with 2016’s succinctly-titled episodic Hitman. The sequel, Hitman 2, followed two years later. In November of 2020, it was announced that IOI had partnered with MGM and Eon Productions to create a game featuring the iconic British Secret Service agent James Bond, codenamed Project 007.
The opportunity to work within the James Bond franchise is most likely the primary factor in IOI stepping away from Hitman for the time being. The wildly popular film franchise, based on the character, novels, and short stories written by Ian Fleming, boasts an impressive 25 film run dating back to 1962. Video games based on the films were created as early as 1983, but never gained popularity until GoldenEye 007 was released in 1997 for the Nintendo 64. Numerous games were released between GoldenEye and the most recent 007 title, 2012’s 007 Legends, which was almost universally panned by critics, receiving a score of 45 on Metacritic. 007 has been on hiatus in the video game sphere ever since, but the recent news from IO Interactive has given fans hope for the future.
What’s Next For IO Interactive
IO Interactive has been proving for decades that they are more than capable of making a compelling and fun stealth game. A modern James Bond tale – reportedly about the spy’s origin – with the gameplay of Hitman sounds like a recipe for success. Games containing an original 007 story are not unheard of (Nightfire and Everything or Nothing come to mind), so it will be interesting to see where IOI takes the character.
The departure from the Hitman series following the highly-anticipated Hitman 3 will be a breath of fresh air for the developers at IO Interactive. The studio has not worked on another IP since the second Kane & Lynch released in 2010. A decade later, and now independent, IOI has a chance to stretch its proverbial legs and relax at least in knowing their next project is already set and eagerly awaited. Fans of Hitman can relax as well, since IOI’s chief creative officer assured Game Informer that the storied IP would not be left behind.
