While IO Interactive has been hard at work on a number of projects, including developing 007: First Light and publishing the upcoming MindsEye, CEO Hakan Abrak has insisted that the studio is “definitely not done” with the Hitman franchise. In an interview with IGN, Abrak said that, while the studio’s resources and time have been taken up by other projects, we will definitely see more Hitman in the future.
“The Hitman series is definitely not done,” Abrak said. “We’re not done with Hitman. IO has been synonymous with Hitman, despite the other IPs we have done. We absolutely are proud, grateful, and happy with Hitman. But obviously doing another new IP, Project Fantasy, and doing Bond, it takes a lot of our resources and time. But as you saw, we announced the Hitman co-op, which is a big dream of mine. And they will be maybe in different shapes, but they will definitely be more Hitman in the future.”
In the meantime, however, the studio’s priority has been on developing 007: First Light. When asked about the differences between the upcoming James Bond game and Hitman, Abrak mentioned that the upcoming title will still maintain some of the comedy that can be found in Agent 47’s adventures. He did mention, however, that Bond’s sense of humour will be more British when compared to what we typically see in the Hitman games.
“It is very, very important to get the humor right,” explaiend Abrak. “In Denmark, we love dark humor and the silliness because it takes away from the seriousness of being an assassin. Bond is different. Bond, the humor is first of all very British. And the humor there is to support the energy and his personality, which is much more front and center. So I would say less silly. It’s not flamingo disguises, as you said, but still entertaining.”
Abrak also spoke about some of the gameplay differences we’ll see in 007: First Light when coming from Hitman. He mentioned that there will be more action, for instance, rather than the social stealth we get to see when put into the shoes of Agent 47. However, while there is emphasis on action, we will still see the more systems-based gameplay that IO Interactive is known for.
“And it’s a game that plays differently,” he said. “It’s emphasizing more action, for sure. And the structure of Bond is more like it’s breathing more. Like there are more linear parts where you have the spectacle moments and exotic vehicles. And then we also give space in Bond to open up a bit and breathe a bit. So you have definitely glimpses of IO Interactive, as you would know from Hitman games as well, but it’s more front foot. It’s less of an analytical mind, chess play, where you sit and meticulously plan. All the clockwork things in Hitman where if you do this or do this, where Bond is more impulsive, more reckless sometimes. It’s more like he’s just taking things and acting and handling it more as they arise.”
“So it’s a different dynamism, because we want to make something that feels true for a Bond fantasy. So it’s definitely not a re-skin of a Hitman kind of thing, but I feel that people will see IO Interactive, that is a game made by Interactive, but they will also see that this game is something else. It’s something that’s true to what we are hopefully going to deliver 360, an ultimate Bond experience.”
007: First Light recently got a new trailer showcasing some of its gameplay. It is being developed for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and will be out in 2026.
