Developer IO Interactive has revealed a few details about its next project. Dubbed Project 007, the title will be based on the James Bond IP. Despite having announced the game back in 2020, the studio has been quiet about it, instead focusing on the Hitman franchise. With Hitman going “a little bit on hiatus”, however, the studio has decided to open up about its next project.
Speaking to Eurogamer, IO Interactive co-owners Christian Elverdam and Hakan Abrak spoke about how Project 007 came about.
“First of all, it’s extremely awe-inspiring and literally just inspiring to work with the team at Eon [Productions], the people who are behind everything Bond,” said Elverdam. “It’s odd because from my perspective, I’ve been used to defending Agent 47; people want to do things with our franchise and you feel that stewardship.”
According to Elverdam, Project 007 will be an origin story for James Bond. He talks about Eon Productions allowing IO Interactive to build a new James Bond for the gaming audience. The studio was inspired to do this thanks to the history of James Bond, where the character has been reinvented and played by different actors over the decades.
“It’s something that can stand next to the TV and the movies and whatnot,” said Abrak. “This can be something where the gamers say, ‘Well it’s not just a gamification of a video [and] did they convey Daniel Craig well or not? I don’t know, let me look at the pixels.’ It’s an origin story. It’s the beginning of something new and it’s the beginning, hopefully, of something that the gamers can call their own.”
Not much in the way of details about what we can expect from Project 007 in terms of gameplay have been revealed. However, job listings indicate that it will feature sandbox storytelling in the vein of Hitman games. Project 007 doesn’t yet have proper title or release date, and isn’t expected to come out until at least April 2025.