In 2020, Hitman developer IO Interactive revealed that it’s working on Project 007, the first new James Bond video game for consoles since 007 Legends was released in 2012. Now, IO Interactive is shedding some light on its ambitious plans for Bond and a hoped for trilogy that will unveil a new origin story for the world famous spy.
IO Interactive CEO Hakan Abrak told IGN that Project 007 won’t be based on any of the existing Bond movies. Instead, the developer is being allowed to create its own version of James Bond for the game.
“What’s exciting about that project is that we actually got to do an original story,” said Abrak. “So it’s not a gamification of a movie. It’s completely beginning and becoming a story, hopefully for a big trilogy out there in the future. And equally important and exciting, it’s a new Bond. It’s a Bond we built from ground up for gamers. It’s extremely exciting with all the tradition and all the history there is there together to work on this together with the family of creating a young Bond for gamers; a Bond that the gamers can call their own and grow with.”
Abrak didn’t offer any concreate details about when Project 007 will arrive, but noted that “the production’s going amazingly well.” He also reiterated his hope to use it as a launching point for additional James Bond games.
“I don’t want to speak too big about it, but I just hope we’ll do a thing that will define James Bond in gaming for years to come,” added Abrak. “And that is not only one game, but that we create a universe for gamers to own for many years to come that we can grow with that next to the Bond on the movies.”
Project 007 doesn’t currently have a release date. But we do know that Ubisoft veteran Rodrigo Santoro was hired earlier this year to be mission director for the game. As for the next James Bond movie, chances are good that Project 007 may come out first.