We’ve identified for a while now that IO Interactive, the studio behind the unbelievable Hitman video games, is engaged on a brand new James Bond recreation. And whereas that workforce looks as if an ideal match and a brand new Bond recreation appears lengthy overdue, in line with IOI, the workforce 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 handy 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—could be excited a few new recreation primarily based on its well-liked spy. However in line with the devs behind it, that wasn’t the case—and you’ll 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 in regards to the still-in-development 007 recreation, detailing their imaginative and prescient for the challenge. However the two additionally defined that it took a variety of convincing to get Eon Productions to log out on the challenge, because the Bond house owners didn’t need yet one more “action-oriented” FPS.
“Our impression was clearly that [at the time] they weren’t searching for a recreation,” mentioned IO Interactive CEO and co-owner Hakan Abrak. “And I believe it’s honest that they may not have been super-happy with a number of 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 targeted on how its 007 challenge could be about getting out and in of a location with out inflicting a lot collateral injury or participating in violence until wanted. In different phrases, IO Interactive’s challenge gained’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 seems like it’ll 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 strategy “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 gentle and let IO make its Bond challenge. And actually, after enjoying far too many Bond shooters, I can’t await a extra stealth-oriented spy recreation. I’ve mentioned earlier than that IOI is the very best 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 Venture 007.
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