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Former Cyberpunk 2077 design lead Andrzej Zawadzki joins IO Interactive

Hitman developer IO Interactive has announced two new hirings, including a former CD Projekt RED developer.

Donovan Erskine

May 12, 2021 8:45 AM

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Developer IO Interactive has been on a bit of a hot streak, as the Hitman series has become more successful with each release, as well as the recent news of the studio working on a James Bond game. On the other hand, developer CD Projekt RED has had a rough go at it lately, with the rocky launch of Cyberpunk 2077 and harassment allegations within the company painting the studio in a not-so-good light. IO Interactive has announced two major hirings, and one of them includes Andrzej Zawadzki, who worked as a design lead on Cyberpunk 2077.

IO Interactive announced the new hirings with a post to its official website. It wasn’t long ago that Andrzej Zawadzki announced he would be leaving CD Projekt RED after eight years with the company. Now we know that he’ll be joining the team at IOI. What’s more, the announcement states that Zawadzki will serve as Senior Gameplay Designer for the studio’s “new, unannounced IP.” This would indicate that the project isn’t the already announced James Bond game. Could it be the rumored fantasy RPG being developed for the Xbox?

IO Interactive also announced that Rasmus Højengaard would be joining the team as Studio Design Director. This isn’t Højengaard’s first experience with IOI, as he served as Game Director on Hitman: Blood Money in 2006 before leaving the studio and working at DICE. Højengaard will have a hand in all of IO Interactive’s upcoming projects.

The two new hirings are seemingly another big win for IO Interactive. Just last month, the studio announced that Hitman 3 sold 300 percent better than Hitman 2, and that a new office would be opening in Barcelona to support development on its upcoming projects. For more news and updates on IO Interactive, stay with us right here at Shacknews.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a young journalist from Maryland, who likes to game. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge Scream nerd and film fanatic that will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_