Project 007 is still something of a mystery, which is fitting given the subject matter. IO Interactive, the studio responsible for driving the Hitman franchise, is hard at work on a brand new James Bond game – an origin story which will work outside of the established canon.
The pairing of the studio behind some of the best stealth games of all-time and a franchise that continues to deliver (check out any one of the best Bond movies for a reminder of that) is exceptional, and we are keen to learn more. It's expected that Project 007 remains in early pre-production, but there are some details out there. So for all the latest news on this new Bond game and the first gameplay teases, keep reading to discover everything we know so far.
What is Project 007?
Project 007 is a band new stealth-action game from the genre masters at IO Interactive – the studio behind the beloved Hitman franchise. Project 007 is a working title for this new bond game, which the studio has described as "Featuring a wholly original Bond story, players will step into the shoes of the world's favorite Secret Agent to earn their 00 status in the very first James Bond origin story."
Project 007 gameplay
IO Interactive is yet to release any Project 007 gameplay footage, but we are starting to build a better picture of what to expect from this original Bond adventure. The studio's CEO, Hakan Abran, says that IO is building "the ultimate spycraft fantasy." It's expected that Project 007 will build on the incredible work the studio has done around its Hitman: World of Assassination trilogy, with chief development officer Veronique Lallier telling 12DOVE that working on James Bond is "so close to our DNA that it just feels seamless."
We know that IO is drawing in a lot of industry talent to get this new James Bond game off the ground, including a The Division and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora lead to help "design the most amazing Bond missions." Lallier adds: "If you look at what we've done in the past with Hitman, 007 feels organic. For us because we've done, you know, stories about agents doing things. So that makes complete sense. That just feels like, this is normal and natural, you know, it's part of our DNA to create an amazing story about action."
Project 007 release date is still a way off
The Project 007 release date is currently unknown, but we could be waiting a while. Developer IO Interactive cited "long production phases" on its upcoming games in a recent annual report, which has led many to speculate that Project 007 could be at least three years away.
Speaking to 12DOVE's sister publication Edge Magazine, Mattias Engstrom (game director on Hitman 3), says the end of the World of Assassination Trilogy will have a "live tail, and there's going to be some cool stuff coming there." On Project 007, he added, "There are so many excited developers in the studio."
Project 007 trailer
All we have to go on right now is the Project 007 teaser trailer, with an emphasis on the tease. Showcasing a bullet being loaded into a chamber of a gun – could it be Bond’s trademark Walther PPK? – Monty Norman’s iconic Bond theme slowly builds up and eventually soars as we see another Bond mainstay: the gun barrel sequence. Then, a shot is fired and the screen turns red, leaving “Project 007” at its centre.
It doesn’t tell us much, other than it’s officially IO Interactive’s “next project”. From, it we can see no images and certainly no gameplay content. It’s just enough to whet our appetite, but we’re hungry for more.
Project 007 could be a third-person action game
As hinted in a job listing posted by IO Interactive, Project 007 might be a third-person action game. The listing was looking for individuals with "experience working with third-person action games" to work on the upcoming Bond game, that will be "wholly original." Nothing official has been confirmed so far, but it could very well point to us playing as Bond in third-person – a natural fit, given the studio's history with Hitman.
Project 007 story: Which Bond are we playing as?
CEO and co-owner of developer IO Interactive, Hakan Abrak, spoke with Danish Broadcasting Corporation about the Bond we'll be playing as in Project 007. Instead of being based on any of the actors who have played the role through the years, Abrak revealed the team has instead made their own "digital Bond": "we have been allowed to make our own digital Bond, which will not lean on a Bond actor."
In an interview with IGN back in April, Abrak also revealed that Project 007 will draw inspiration from the entire Bond franchise to deliver an original story: "Every Bond kind of defines a generation and it's amazing how they keep reinventing themselves over so many years. So, we're not only inspired by one movie, or games and whatnot. We're inspired by the whole thing, and just sucking things into us to make an original Bond, an original story, but that is absolutely true and recognizable in the values there is in Bond."
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