Developer IO Interactive may have its sights currently set on the upcoming James Bond origin story 007 First Light, but that doesn’t mean we have seen the last of the studio’s Hitman series.
Speaking with Variety, IO Interactive’s head Hakan Abrak assured fellow Agent 47 fans that “of course” there will be more Hitman in the future. Exactly how far in the future, though, remains to be seen.
“Right now, I think we need to get to the other side of this year and next year you’ll get more news about Hitman co-op, because I think co-op is a really, really good extension to the universe, and will introduce very interesting mechanics and combinations in World of Assassination,” Abrak told the publication.
“But we will, after that, be talking about the next Hitman – because, of course, there’s going to be a next Hitman.”
And, thank goodness for that! It’s always a hoot prowling around the many opulent settings Agent 47 gets sent off to, before (if you are anything like me) running away in a hail of bullets as any attempts at stealth get put back on the shelf.
As for that aforementioned co-op mode, this will feature two names you may recognise: Stone and Knight. These two popped up in the Hitman Sniper mode. On the co-op mode’s eventual release, players will be able to pop into “exciting missions” from the Hitman world with their pal by their side. These missions will “challenge” players to rethink how they approach things now they are going in as one of a pair.
In addition to Hitman and 007 First Light, IO Interactive also has a multiplayer fantasy project in the works, aptly codenamed Project Fantasy. This upcoming release, which hasn’t officially been revealed yet, is “extremely ambitious and really cool and is something [other] than a gun in a suit”, Abrak said. “So that’s also good to have something new within the creative outlook here.”
But, before that arrives, 007 First Light will be shooting onto PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2 and PC on 27th March next year. The studio has promised a deeper look at the gameplay we can all expect to see as part of a dedicated stream it is hosting tomorrow, 3rd December, at 4pm UK time.
For more on IOI and Bond, our Alex recently got a closer look at 007 First Light, stating it’s “so much more than Hitman”, and thanks to “its ‘breathing’ structure”, it looks like “the ultimate composite video game”.