Today, IO Interactive, the game development company responsible for HITMAN, has officially announced the opening of its new UK office in Brighton. This decision comes as no surprise, considering Brighton’s reputation as one of the largest game development hubs in the country.
IO Interactive currently operates four other offices, with its headquarters located in Copenhagen. The company expanded its operations to include Malmö, Barcelona, and Istanbul. However, according to IOI CEO Hakan Abrak, the Brighton office has an advantage in that it already has a small team of employees, unlike the other offices that had to start from scratch.
The Brighton team is already hard at work on Project Fantasy, an exciting online fantasy RPG that was announced in late February. Additionally, they will be joining the development of Project 007, the highly anticipated James Bond game that was announced in late 2020. It’s worth noting that all IO Interactive offices collaborate on the same projects simultaneously.
IOI has exceeded a headcount of 300 employees and has set its sights on expanding to nearly 400. However, each office will be limited to accommodating 100-150 individuals. Abrak emphasizes that the company is focused on hiring individuals who believe in IOI’s vision and work ethic.
As for the future, Abrak shares that IOI has made substantial progress with the current development phases and believes they have what they need for the next year or six months. Moving forward, they plan to slow down their hiring before entering the later stages of production.
While the end goal remains uncertain, Abrak believes that most of the staff needed for Project Fantasy and Project 007 are already in place. However, there may be some additional growth, and it’s conceivable that IOI will approach a workforce of around 400 within the next year or 18 months.
Speculating on IO Interactive’s upcoming projects, it’s likely that at least one of them will enter the late stages of production within the next year or year and a half. Project 007 seems to have the edge since it was unveiled two years prior to Project Fantasy. However, due to its nature as an online RPG, Project Fantasy might become playable through Alpha and Beta testing before its official release.
Speaking of Project Fantasy, it is rumored to be the new codename for Project Dragon. Reports of a dragon-themed online fantasy game being developed by IO Interactive have been circulating for over two years. Additionally, leaked documents from the FTC vs. Microsoft case confirmed that the game will be exclusive to PC and Xbox, thanks to a deal between the two companies.
Interestingly, Microsoft had previously shown interest in acquiring IO Interactive. During their evaluation, they mentioned Project Dragon as an RPG shooter that would be published by Xbox Games Publishing on PC and Xbox Series S|X. However, IO Interactive has not made any public statements regarding exclusivity for Project Fantasy. It remains unclear whether the deal fell through or if they are simply waiting for the right time to make further announcements.
In any case, the gaming community eagerly anticipates more information on these exciting projects from IO Interactive.
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Eugen Boglaru is an AI aficionado covering the fascinating and rapidly advancing field of Artificial Intelligence. From machine learning breakthroughs to ethical considerations, Eugen provides readers with a deep dive into the world of AI, demystifying complex concepts and exploring the transformative impact of intelligent technologies.
