IO Interactive is ready to bring Agent 47 back. After five years without a new Hitman release, the Danish studio's CEO made clear the franchise remains central to the company's roadmap, even as the team wraps up work on other projects.
The gap wasn't neglect, according to Hakan Abrak. In an interview with The Game Business, he explained that IO Interactive has been consumed building two entirely new games from scratch: the James Bond title 007 First Light and a fantasy game that's already deep in development. Both projects demanded the studio's full attention in ways that prevented meaningful progress on Hitman.
"We are looking forward to getting into the weeds on Hitman again," Abrak said. "There hasn't been air for that, for going in, building in systems from the ground up. But rest assured, we cannot wait to get into the engine room and upgrade, invent, and innovate Hitman for you guys again."
The comments will likely ease concerns among fans who watched the studio pivot to high-profile licensed work and wondered whether Hitman's long reign as IO Interactive's signature franchise might be over. Hitman has defined the studio's output for over two decades. Of the 13 games IO Interactive has released since 1998, more than half carry the Agent 47 name. Freedom Fighters and Kane and Lynch arrived as diversions, but Hitman is what built the studio's reputation.
When the next Hitman arrives, it may benefit from lessons learned on 007 First Light. That James Bond game operates under different design constraints than Hitman's stealth-focused sandbox approach, forcing IO Interactive to think differently about level design, systems, and player agency. Those fresh perspectives could help refine areas where Hitman has historically struggled, particularly combat. While stealth remains the core Hitman experience, improving firefight mechanics would make direct confrontation a more viable strategy for players who want it.
IO Interactive hasn't revealed what shape the return to Hitman will take or when it might happen. The fantasy project and 007 First Light still command the studio's resources. But the CEO's enthusiasm signals serious work is already in the planning stages, not just wishful thinking.
Author Emily Chen: "Five years is a long break, but if IO Interactive emerges with a Hitman game that's had real time in the oven and learned from the Bond experiment, the wait could pay off."
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