IO Interactive says another main Hitman game will happen, but not for a while

IO Interactive will continue to expand upon World of Assassination and Freelancer Mode, but it's also focusing on a new fantasy-fiction IP and James Bond.

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Hitman has been at the heart of IO Interactive for a very long time, but the studio is diversifying with new projects that could put a possible “Hitman 4” on hold for a long time. IO Interactive is hardly benching Agent 47, but with the World of Assassination trilogy complete and Freelancer Mode out in the wild, the crew is focusing their primary efforts on their upcoming James Bond 007 game and a newly confirmed fantasy-fiction IP.

IO Interactive co-owner and chief creative officer Christian Elverdam spoke to the future of Hitman and IO in a recent conversation with Eurogamer. It was there that Elverdam shared thoughts on how far the studio is from a new Hitman game, as well as its current state:

IO Interactive's Project 007 teaser art
Ahead of a new Hitman, IO Interactive has a few other projects to clear, such as its upcoming James Bond 007 game.
Source: IO Interactive

Elverdam goes on to say exactly what IO’s priorities are at the moment, putting a new Hitman game a few steps down the list.

“Right now a major, major new Hitman game: that’s a little bit on hiatus, as we’re building another agent fantasy that’s also taking up a lot of our time,” Elverdam added. “But obviously we’ll come back to beloved Agent 47. He’s still very much in the heart of this company.”

“Another agent fantasy” undoubtedly refers to the James Bond 007 game that IO Interactive announced it was working on in June 2020. Not only is IO building it up to be just as spectacular and in-depth as the Hitman games, but there’s word that IO’s efforts with the 007 IP could lead to its own trilogy. That doesn’t even count the fact that the developer also announced it was working on an online fantasy-fiction game set in an all-new IP.

It seems any sign of a Hitman 4 will have to wait for at least these above things to wrap up, which could take a few years. Nonetheless, it doesn’t seem IO Interactive will forget about everyone’s favorite barcoded assassin anytime soon. Stay tuned as we continue to watch for new information.

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.

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