Hitman developer making fantasy RPG

The high profile developer will be making a massive online fantasy RPG, after years of working on the stealth action Hitman series.

IO Interactive, the developer behind the massively popular Hitman series, has announced that it’s working on an online fantasy RPG.

All of the developer’s European studios are reportedly working on the project, which is said to be utilising a brand-new intellectual property. It comes after the latest game in the Hitman series, Hitman 3, got free content in a new update in January.

The update added all of the content from the first two games in the series to Hitman 3, renaming the game to World of Assassination and removing the prior two games from sale.

Now, the developer is taking a massive departure by moving into the online fantasy RPG, flexing its creative muscles to create something new.

“Now we are sharing with all of you that we are embarking on a new adventure! One that expands our creativity, our capabilities, and in some sense our identity,” the developer said in a blog post, “We are building a new world, a new IP – an online fantasy RPG. A world and a game built from the core to entertain players and expand for many years to come. It feels familiar, yet at the same time IOI is going on a journey unlike any we have been on before”.

IO Interactive has been working on the Hitman series for decades. Picture: IO Interactive

The move might be surprising for some, but IO has been interested in developing a new IP for many years now. In 2021, it was reported by Windows Central that a game was in the early stages of production, and would reportedly be linked to Microsoft and Xbox.

IO Interactive continued its blog post by saying that its new IP has been something the studio’s wanted to do for a long time, with many of the developer’s staff passionate about the fantasy genre.

“For many, this journey is also a deeply personal one that began long before we started making games for a living – and it started with the fantasy genre,” the blog says, “From the ‘Fighting Fantasy’ books compelling you to choose your path, along, against wizards, lizards, and thief kings. To the togetherness, camaraderie, agony, and delight found around the tabletop. For some it meant taking the role of a game master: Part storyteller, part AI opponent, part guide, part villain. For everyone around that table it meant creativity, imagination, building a world together, and a shared goal in creating a great game experience”.

Hitman 3 has players taking down targets in a crowded map. Picture: IO Interactive

IO Interactive was previously a subsidiary of Square Enix Europe, but bought its independence from the major publisher in 2017. Square Enix subsequently sold most of its European assets to Embracer, which subsequently shut down one of the bought studios.

Written by Oliver Brandt on behalf of GLHF.