IO Interactive has confirmed that its publishing partnership with XBOX on Project Fantasy has ended, with staffing consequences already underway. The studio's statement was warm and guarded at the same time – they remain "100% committed" to the project, promise it will "see the light of day," and have nothing negative to say about anyone. What they couldn't avoid saying is that people are losing jobs over this.
Microsoft's comment to Bloomberg was the corporate-speak version of the same news: XBOX is "taking a fresh look at where we invest" and "focusing on our highest priorities." It isn't reducing overall investment in games, they insist. Just changing where that investment goes. Given what those highest priorities appear to be, that distinction is doing a lot of heavy lifting.
What Project Fantasy Is Meant To Be
IO Interactive announced the game in early 2023 – an online fantasy RPG, a genuinely ambitious departure for a studio whose entire identity has been built around Agent 47 and now James Bond.
The vision described in their original announcement was earnest and personal: a world inspired by Fighting Fantasy books, tabletop campaigns, the idea of a group of diverse individuals with different skills becoming more...
