IO Interactive Will Return to Hitman Franchise After 007 First Light and Project Fantasy

IO Interactive, mostly known as the studio responsible for Hitman game series, is preparing to release their new, ambitious IP later this month – 007 First Light, which will tell the story of the origin of the cult movie hero, while having nothing in common with recent films. Nevertheless, the studio’s CEO, Hakan Abrak, recently reminded that the franchise about Agent 47 hasn’t been forgotten and will be returning soon.

Recently, Abrak was a guest of the publication The Game Business, where he revealed that the studio plans to return to the Hitman series after the release of 007 First Light and another upcoming project, about which not much is known. It is about Project Fantasy, a multiplayer online RPG funded by a major external publisher. At the moment, the game does not have a release date, so most likely this means that it will be a few more years before the new Hitman installment is released, but it will definitely happen, as you can check out Hakan Abrak’s words below:

“We are looking forward to getting into the weeds on Hitman again. 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.”

In the same interview, he also confirmed that 007 First Light is the most expensive title of IO Interactive so far, as well as the game could potentially receive a sequel in the future:

“With our engine and efficiency… it is a very expensive project for us. It’s our most expensive. And I’m not going to talk about exact numbers now. But I’m looking forward to talking about it, because these games can be done for half of what you hear about out there.”

At the end of last month, gaming media and reviewers got the chance to get acquainted with an early version of 007 First Light; the game was praised for its explosive action and well-designed combat system, and some even called it the best Bond game and a contender for Game of the Year. Also, recently IO Interactive published updated system requirements for the PC version of the game.

Are you excited that IO Interactive will return to Hitman game series soon? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

007 First Light is releasing on May 27 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, and later in 2026 it will be available on Nintendo Switch 2.