We’ve identified for a while now that IO Interactive, the studio behind the incredible Hitman video games, is engaged on a brand new James Bond recreation. And whereas that group looks as if an ideal match and a brand new Bond recreation appears lengthy overdue, in keeping with IOI, the group needed to guarantee the oldsters who personal the spy franchise that it wasn’t going to make one other FPS as a way to persuade them at hand over the rights.
GoldenEye 007 on the Nintendo 64 is likely one of the most well-known and beloved video video games in historical past. It popularized FPS video games on consoles, offered over eight million copies, and led to dozens of comparable James Bond FPS video games. I’d argue the video games helped develop the franchise’s viewers. With all that mentioned, you’d assume Eon Productions—the oldsters who personal the Bond franchise—can be excited a few new recreation primarily based on its standard spy. However in keeping with the devs behind it, that wasn’t the case—and you may blame GoldenEye for that.
Within the latest version of Edge journal, as reported by GamesRadar, IO Interactive co-owners Hakan Abrak and Christian Elverdam talked concerning the still-in-development 007 recreation, detailing their imaginative and prescient for the venture. However the two additionally defined that it took lots of convincing to get Eon Productions to log out on the venture, because the Bond house owners didn’t need one more “action-oriented” FPS.
“Our impression was clearly that [at the time] they weren’t in search of a recreation,” mentioned IO Interactive CEO and co-owner Hakan Abrak. “And I believe it’s truthful that they may not have been super-happy with among the later video games.”
The co-owners of IO Interactive pitched Eon Productions on a James Bond recreation that was much less GoldenEye and extra about being a globe-trotting, stealth-oriented spy. Elverdam defined that its pitch to Eon centered on how its 007 venture can be about getting out and in of a location with out inflicting a lot collateral injury or participating in violence except wanted. In different phrases, IO Interactive’s venture received’t be Bond working down infinite corridors carrying 20 weapons and taking pictures everybody he encounters, which is how I’d describe the overwhelming majority of 007 video games made within the final 20 years. As a substitute, it feels like it should play much more just like the Hitman video games, the place violence is usually a final resort and stealthy gameplay is king.
Elverdam advised Edge that this method “helped [IO Interactive] persuade Eon that there’s a sophistication in how we deal with the agent fantasy.” This appears to have been sufficient to get the inexperienced mild and let IO make its Bond venture. And actually, after taking part in far too many Bond shooters, I can’t look forward to a extra stealth-oriented spy recreation. I’ve mentioned earlier than that IOI is the perfect developer to make a contemporary 007 recreation and I can’t wait to see what the studio is engaged on when it lastly reveals extra about Challenge 007.
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