IO Interactive, the team behind series such as Kane and Lynch, Freedom Fighters, and most famously Hitman, has revealed a new project in the works: Project 007, a James Bond origin story.
The team teased a reveal yesterday and to IO's credit, it managed not to leak leading up to the reveal. Operating under the working title Project 007, IO will shift seamlessly from their very-Bond like Hitman 3 right into Project 007. No release date was given and it seems to project is in the early stages. You can watch the reveal trailer below, featuring the iconic gun barrel cam.
“It’s true that once in a while, the stars do align in our industry,” said Hakan Abrak, CEO of IO Interactive, “Creating an original Bond game is a monumental undertaking and I truly believe that IO Interactive, working closely with our creative partners at EON and MGM, can deliver something extremely special for our players and communities. Our passionate team is excited to unleash their creativity into the iconic James Bond universe and craft the most ambitious game in the history of our studio.”
Project 007 will run on IO's proprietary Glacier game engine, which is the same used for the Hitman franchise. The project marks the first time in a decade that the team has developed a game outside the Hitman franchise. At the time, it was the often maligned, occasionally beloved Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days that IO launched, but since then it's been all Hitman across mobile, three generations of consoles, and five total Hitman games if you include the upcoming Hitman 3, scheduled for January 2021.
Though Agent 47's tenure as an international man of mystery is itself daunting, he doesn't hold a candle to the longevity of James Bond. Next April, the series' 25th film hits theaters (or home theaters). The character is based on the 1950s book series and has seen several actors portray the starring role over many decades, including the late Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan, and most recently Daniel Craig.
The Project 007 Bond seems prepared to be IO's own version, not borrowing directly from any movie or likeness but instead telling a new saga, and likely one with its own sequel potential should it be a strong debut. After so much has been in flux for IO Interactive over the past few years - releasing Hitman episodically, parting ways with Square Enix, and going indie after buying the rights to the Hitman IP, landing the Bond IP, which is already a perfect fit artistically, must be extremely exciting for a team that has seen one of the strongest upswings of the past half-decade.
