IO Interactive, the studio renowned for the Hitman series, has announced the establishment of a new studio in Maslak, Turkey, which will be known as IOI Istanbul, Turkey. This is the first development studio outside of Europe, joining teams in Copenhagen, Malmö, and Barcelona.
The official website of the studio says that the new team based in Turkey will play a significant role in the company’s push to create impactful games for people across all platforms. Furthermore, they believe it will assist the studio in creating a foothold for AAA development in Turkey. The statement issued on the website reads:
The mission of IOI Istanbul is to establish a hub for AAA game development in the region and create unique game experiences for our players across the world.
Adding on, it said that:
Our team in Istanbul will play an important role in our ambitious productions Project 007, Project Fantasy and Hitman.
The Hitman reference, in particular, is noteworthy because the studio told players earlier this week not to expect a new Hitman game anytime soon. Instead, the studio plans to continue developing Hitman: World of Assassination, a rebranded version of Hitman 3 that combines content from the two previous Hitman titles.
As Project 007 was announced last month, therefore, the Istanbul studio will cater to the growth strategy to undertake and strengthen the development of Project 007 and Fantasy Project to keep the Hitman franchise alive.
Project 007 is the code name for an online RPG game that will feature the original James Bond story. The developers, while commenting on the project said:
We’re building a new world, a new IP – an online fantastic RPG, A world and game built from the ground up to entertain players and expand for many years to come.
Furthermore, last September, the studio announced that it does not expect to release any new games until at least April 2025. Based on that, it will take a while before any update from the ongoing projects comes out.
