Without ever ceasing to take care of its brilliant Hitman trilogy under the World of Assassination label, IO Interactive revealed the existence of Project 007 in November 2020, a title that will mark the great return of James Bond in video games. While production continues with a discretion worthy of a secret agent, the studio announces that its teams are also involved in the design of Project Fantasy, a new license which will take the form of an online RPG. A huge shift in perspective for the former Square Enix studio, which is unveiling this project in order to be able to accelerate its recruitment and make appointments with the right people for the GDC which will take place in San Francisco in a month. One thing is certain, IO Interactive already aims to feed this new world over time, just as it did with Hitman.
The role-playing fantasy
“For many, this journey is also a deeply personal journey that started long before we started making games for a living – and it started with the fantasy genre. With the books Fantasy Challenges forcing you to choose your path, alone, against wizards, lizards and robber kings. Until you feel the unity, the camaraderie, the agony and the pleasure that you find around a table. For some, that meant taking on the role of a game master: part storyteller, part AI adversary, part guide, part villain. For everyone around the table, it meant creativity, imagination, building a world together with the common goal of creating an exceptional gaming experience.“
“This idea – that a diverse group of individuals with different skills and strengths can work together and become more than the sum of its parts – is what inspires us. It inspires the fantasy world we build – and it inspires the way we build it. IOI now spans several separate studios, from Copenhagen to Malmö in the north to hot Barcelona in the south. All studios participate in the production of all our games, including this new project. People from all over the world, with diverse personalities and skills, come together to forge a new beginning.“