IO Interactive is making an online fantasy RPG

A new fantasy IP from the ground-up

IO Interactive forged a name for itself through its Hitman series, but today it’s announced a different kind of project altogether. The studio making an online fantasy RPG.

Announced in a blog post today, IO Interactive is building a new world and IP for an online fantasy RPG. It’s built “from the core” to be around for years to come. And as IO describes it, it feels familiar, yet is unlike anything the company’s done before now.

There are some touchstones mentioned in the blog post, ranging from Fighting Fantasy books that offered choose-your-journey opportunities to gathering around a tabletop. Heck, even being a game master.

“This idea – that a diverse group of individuals with different skills and strengths can work together and become more than the sum of their parts – is what inspires us,” IO said in its announcement. “It inspires the fantasy world we are building – and it inspires how we build it. IOI now spans multiple distinct studios, from Copenhagen and Malmö in the north to warm Barcelona in the south. All studios take part in making all our games, including this new endeavor. People from all over the world with diverse personalities and skillsets are coming together to forge a new beginning.”

Starting off on a new journey

Not many more details were shared, beyond the lone art teaser and blog post. It’s currently code-named Project Fantasy, and IO is actively hiring for it.

IO Interactive has been building out the World of Assassination they started with the Hitman reboot, and are also working on a James Bond game, too. This online fantasy RPG adds another to the docket for the company, but I’m pretty keen on seeing what it turns out to be. IO’s breakaway with the Hitman series turned out incredibly well, and I’d love to see what the crew does with an RPG setting. And, of course, whether Agent 47 is quietly lurking in the background. You never know!