IO Interactive is opening a new studio in Turkey that will work on several of its game franchises, the company announced today.
A new blog post by IO Interactive mentioned that the new studio will be located in Istanbul, Turkey, specifically in Maslak, Sariyer. It will be positioned “in the continental gateway to Europe and Asia” and is a “crucial part in the continued growth and success of IO Interactive,” according to the company.
“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,” IO Interactive said.
IO Interactive also claimed the new studio in Turkey will “play a significant role” in some of its “ambitious productions.” This includes games such as Project 007, Project Fantasy, and Hitman.
Project 007 is the current working title for the upcoming James Bond game that was announced in 2020. Only a few details have been provided since it was announced, such as the fact that it will have an original story. As for Project Fantasy, it is the recently revealed new fantasy RPG for a new IP and is described as something that is “deeply personal” for IO Interactive.
Hitman, on the other hand, will not be getting a new game anytime soon. This was revealed by IO Interactive chief creative officer Christian Elverdam through an interview with Eurogamer, and the company will instead focus on Project 007.
“Right now a major, major new Hitman game, that’s a little bit on hiatus, as we’re building another agent fantasy that’s also taking up a lot of our time,” Elverdam said. “But obviously we’ll come back to beloved Agent 47. He’s still very much in the heart of this company.”
