It was revealed in May that the publisher behind the Hitman franchise, Square Enix, was putting the series developer IO Interactive up for sale. Square Enix said that the decision was taken to focus its attention on other key franchises and studios. Then later in May, the publisher said in a financial briefing document that it wants the series to "carry on", although how exactly this would be accomplished was not made clear.
And now, in a statement released by IO Interactive, the developer says that it is now a fully independent studio, with full control of the Hitman IP. IO Interactive CEO Hakan Abrak said the following regarding the change:
I am proud to announce today that IOI is now officially an independent studio. We have successfully concluded our negotiations with Square Enix and have agreed to a management buyout. Crucially, we will keep all of the rights to the Hitman IP.
This is a watershed moment for IOI. As of today, we have complete control over the direction for our studio and the Hitman IP – we’re about to forge our own future and it’s incredibly exciting. We are now open to opportunities with future collaborators and partners to help strengthen us as a studio and ensure that we can produce the best games possible for our community.
The statement also expresses gratitude towards the community, media, as well as Square Enix, with Abrak adding that "it has been a great family to be a part of and we are proud of what we have achieved together in the last eight years." The full statement can be found on the official IO Interactive website.
All in all, this surely means that more Hitman content is on the horizon with at least another year of episodic releases, giving a rest to all the speculation that were surrounding the studio in the past weeks.
Source and Image: IO Interactive