Developer Hitman’s James Bond won’t be based on any previous actor

IO Interactive has revealed that the protagonist of the developer’s upcoming James Bond game won’t be based on any previous actor who filled the role – and a director at the company has hinted at a trilogy. by the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, which also explains how the studio plans to double its staff in the next few years as it works on this ambitious project.

“We have been allowed to create our own digital link, which will not rely on a Bond actor,” IO interactive director Hakan Abrak told the Danish Broadcasting Corporation. This means we won’t see the likeness of Daniel Craig or Pierce Brosnan come into the game – the character will be entirely unique and unrelated to Bond’s previous performances. “We also created a completely original story, and you can easily imagine a trilogy could come out of it,” Abrak added.

This suggests that Project 007 may not be just a singular game. It could be a series, much like Hitman, with new locations and missions with each iteration. Abrak also revealed that IO Interactive is growing and plans to hire many more staff to achieve its ambitions. “Today we are 200 employees and I anticipate that we will be over 400 employees over the next few years,” said Abrak.

Abrak also recounted the meeting where IO Interactive convinced license owners EON Productions that the game was a good idea. According to the interview, IO had a meeting with Barbara Broccoli of the Broccoli family, who controls the rights to the James Bond franchise. The broccoli was “expressionless” at first, but it quickly came to the idea. Abrak says that “the studio’s story with the Hitman universe” and his vision for Bond “went straight to the heart” of Brocolli, who informed the project. Abrak also noted the usefulness of the “good Scandinavian charm” rather than the “big American arm movements” that Abrak thought EON was probably used to.

Previous reports from the interview suggest that Broccoli mentioned that she didn’t think Bond’s previous games were “worthy enough” and that they portrayed violence “for the sake of violence”, but those quotes were apparently cut from the interview, at the time of writing.

For more details on Project 007, check out our announcement coverage here. You can also watch our video which explains why a Bond game from the makers of Hitman has major potential.

Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.