Project 007 - James Bond game from IO Interactive

[kangaxx]

Danish interview: https://www.pcgamer.com/ios-studio-director-says-its-bond-game-could-be-a-trilogy/

IO's studio director says its Bond game could be a trilogy
The developer has plans to more than double in size during the project's development.

Little is known about IO Interactive's recently announced James Bond game (beyond the fact the studio will be a great fit, and it's years away), but in a new interview with Danish website DR studio director Hakan Abrak has dropped some crumbs. First of all by teasing that the game 'could' be a trilogy, which is no great surprise.

"We have been allowed to make our own digital Bond, which will not lean on a Bond actor," says Abrak. "We've also come up with a completely original story, and you could easily imagine that a trilogy could come out of it."

Abrak talks about the convoluted process of acquiring the rights to such a mega-franchise, which in this case involved convincing Barbara Broccoli and EON Productions of the studio's suitability for the task. Apparently Ms. Broccoli believed previous games weren't "worthy enough" and had too much "violence for the sake of violence."

"Our background with the Hitman universe and our vision of what Bond is in a game format went straight to the heart of Barbara Broccoli," says Abrak. This is kind of interesting, inasmuch as it's slotting this 007 game pretty neatly into the Hitman archetype: a game that definitely features violence, as do the Bond movies, but not continuously.

The scale of this project will be the biggest in IO's history, judging by the plans the studio has to double in size over the development. "Today we are 200 employees and I expect that we will be over 400 employees over the next few years," says Abrak. "So there is no doubt that the Bond agreement means an insane amount to us."

"It's very, very special—a boy's dream," says Abrak. "Sometimes it's still a little hard to understand that it's us making James Bond."

You can read DR's full interview here.

So they're trumpeting three games before we've even heard what kind of games they'll be.

 

[Ivan]

We know what kind of games they'll be

 

[CrunchyHemorrhoids]

As much as I enjoyed the new hitman games, they were overpriced. Maybe the full trilogy will feel like a full game (waiting on 3 until the epic carryover issues are fixed and it's dirt cheap), but if they're planning on once again splitting a normal game into 3 smaller but full-priced parts I'll just wait until their Bond trilogy is finished.

Right now the biggest problem I have with the Hitman formula is that it feels too much like you're just memorizing the maps/missions through dumb exploration/repetition like in adventure games (but those don't have you reloading whenever something doesn't work, have better puzzles and actual charm) instead of having you improvise and actually get better at the game. Some sort of randomization on the higher difficulty would have worked well.

Has Bond ever really been about disguises? I've only seen the Craig and Brosnan movies and I can't really remember a single time a disguise was a big part of it, though it's been years since I last watched.

Sticking to your iconic suit start to finish is now as much a part of the pro/perfect hitman playstyle as the silent assassin thing. They could have 47 with a toupee sticking to the same formula where you have both the easier paths where you don clown costumes as well as the more challenging path where you stay stylish. Also Bond's take on the 47 chameleon/costume stuff could be done with just having him assume different identities during dialogs (through intel unlocks/pickups), or picking up ID tags to stick on his suit rather than taking on ridiculous costumes.

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.ign.com/articles/hitman...-the-franchises-entire-history-ign-unfiltered

Hitman Dev's James Bond Game Is an Original Story Drawing From the Franchise's Entire History – IGN Unfiltered
Abrak: "...it's a completely original story. This felt really, really important for us..."

IGN's Ryan McCaffrey sat down with IO Interactive CEO and co-owner Hakan Abrak to discuss the studio's history in the latest episode of IGN Unfiltered (watch the full interview tomorrow), along with the team's upcoming James Bond game, Hitman 3, separating from Square Enix, and much more.

Abrak confirmed that IO won't be using the likeness of any actor who has portrayed 007 in the past, but that's not the only place IO is differentiating itself from what Bond has done before. The team will also be creating a completely new story for their original Bond.

When asked if IO would be taking inspiration from the Bond films or books, Abrak said, "It's important to mention: doing a licensed game is new to us. We've only done our own, original IPs (intellectual property), right? We've created these characters... ourselves, from scratch.

"So, I think for us to really embrace this fully, and really, as I said before, we don't like to work 'mechanical.' It's not just because it's a big IP, or it's a licensed game, and commercially this is interesting... It means nothing to us. We've taken a lot of non-commercial risks before. So, for us, it's about... we need to feel it, deep inside. The passion needs to be there, so it was very important for us that it wasn't a movie adaptation. So, it wasn't a game about... a specific movie, where the story has already been told."

He continued: "It's very important that we could create a digital Bond. A Bond for the gaming industry... So it's a completely original story. This felt really, really important for us and we conveyed that to [James Bond owner] EON and they agreed that the result would probably be better doing it like that.

"There's always excitement around a new Bond. It's amazing, what they have done with the franchise over the years. Every Bond kind of defines a generation and it's amazing how they kept 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. I'm really looking forward to creating a new community that the gamers can call their own."

For more interviews with the best, brightest, most fascinating minds in the games industry, check out be sure to check out every episode of IGN Unfiltered, which includes talks with The Game Awards creator Geoff Keighley, Master Chief co-creator Marcus Lehto, 343's Bonnie Ross, Valve's Robin Walker & Chris Remo, Respawn's Stig Asmussen, and so many more.

 

[deuxhero]

Danish interview: https://www.pcgamer.com/ios-studio-director-says-its-bond-game-could-be-a-trilogy/

IO's studio director says its Bond game could be a trilogy
The developer has plans to more than double in size during the project's development.

Little is known about IO Interactive's recently announced James Bond game (beyond the fact the studio will be a great fit, and it's years away), but in a new interview with Danish website DR studio director Hakan Abrak has dropped some crumbs. First of all by teasing that the game 'could' be a trilogy, which is no great surprise.

"We have been allowed to make our own digital Bond, which will not lean on a Bond actor," says Abrak. "We've also come up with a completely original story, and you could easily imagine that a trilogy could come out of it."

Abrak talks about the convoluted process of acquiring the rights to such a mega-franchise, which in this case involved convincing Barbara Broccoli and EON Productions of the studio's suitability for the task. Apparently Ms. Broccoli believed previous games weren't "worthy enough" and had too much "violence for the sake of violence."

"Our background with the Hitman universe and our vision of what Bond is in a game format went straight to the heart of Barbara Broccoli," says Abrak. This is kind of interesting, inasmuch as it's slotting this 007 game pretty neatly into the Hitman archetype: a game that definitely features violence, as do the Bond movies, but not continuously.

The scale of this project will be the biggest in IO's history, judging by the plans the studio has to double in size over the development. "Today we are 200 employees and I expect that we will be over 400 employees over the next few years," says Abrak. "So there is no doubt that the Bond agreement means an insane amount to us."

"It's very, very special—a boy's dream," says Abrak. "Sometimes it's still a little hard to understand that it's us making James Bond."

You can read DR's full interview here.

So they're trumpeting three games before we've even heard what kind of games they'll be.

EA's Agent Under Fire/Nightfire/Everything or Nothing was a trilogy of Bond games with original stories and all three were pretty good for what they were. Of course, they're barely linked and were never intended as a Trilogy from the start: One of the characters from AoF makes an appearance in Nightfire.

 

[Infinitron]

Here's the full interview:



https://www.ign.com/articles/hitman...ew-james-bond-game-and-more-ign-unfiltered-57

Hitman Studio Boss Talks Hitman's Future, the New James Bond Game, and More! – IGN Unfiltered #57
Sounds like IO Interactive has a third game up its sleeve in addition to Hitman and James Bond...

Welcome to IGN Unfiltered, our regularly occurring interview series where we sit down with the best, brightest, and most fascinating minds in the video game industry. (Catch up on the other 50-plus episodes here.) My guest this episode is IO Interactive CEO and co-owner Hakan Abrak, who talks very openly and honestly about running a AAA independent game studio in the modern era. He discusses leaving Square Enix to go it alone and how the studio almost ran out of money at one point, how the studio landed the James Bond game deal and how the team is thinking about it, the future of Hitman, and much more!

 

[Pound Meat]

Danish interview: https://www.pcgamer.com/ios-studio-director-says-its-bond-game-could-be-a-trilogy/

IO's studio director says its Bond game could be a trilogy
The developer has plans to more than double in size during the project's development.

Little is known about IO Interactive's recently announced James Bond game (beyond the fact the studio will be a great fit, and it's years away), but in a new interview with Danish website DR studio director Hakan Abrak has dropped some crumbs. First of all by teasing that the game 'could' be a trilogy, which is no great surprise.

"We have been allowed to make our own digital Bond, which will not lean on a Bond actor," says Abrak. "We've also come up with a completely original story, and you could easily imagine that a trilogy could come out of it."

Abrak talks about the convoluted process of acquiring the rights to such a mega-franchise, which in this case involved convincing Barbara Broccoli and EON Productions of the studio's suitability for the task. Apparently Ms. Broccoli believed previous games weren't "worthy enough" and had too much "violence for the sake of violence."

"Our background with the Hitman universe and our vision of what Bond is in a game format went straight to the heart of Barbara Broccoli," says Abrak. This is kind of interesting, inasmuch as it's slotting this 007 game pretty neatly into the Hitman archetype: a game that definitely features violence, as do the Bond movies, but not continuously.

The scale of this project will be the biggest in IO's history, judging by the plans the studio has to double in size over the development. "Today we are 200 employees and I expect that we will be over 400 employees over the next few years," says Abrak. "So there is no doubt that the Bond agreement means an insane amount to us."

"It's very, very special—a boy's dream," says Abrak. "Sometimes it's still a little hard to understand that it's us making James Bond."

You can read DR's full interview here.

Broccoli is the Kathleen Kennedy of the Bondverse. She had nothing to do with the series' success and didn't start working with the films until the '90s, when she pushed Dalton out for Sexy Brosnan, then pushed Brosnan out for Sexy Craig. She also started the trend of making the Bond Girls "Bond's equal", and is all onboard with destroying the series by having a black 007 and making Craig Bond a bisexual pussy who would rather ride dick than save the world.

But I'm sure these CURRENT YEAR CLOWN WORLD games she wholeheartedly approves of will be great!

 

[distant]

Um...the new Bond is a woman. This just seems wrong.

#NotMyBond
#GirlsGetItDone

Reminded me of No One Lives Forever, if they're gonna do an fps spy game they should just model it on that.

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.eurogamer.net/hitman-studio-io-opens-up-a-little-about-its-james-bond-007-game

Hitman studio IO opens up a little about its James Bond 007 game​

"I think we can say a few things..."

As word arrives that the Hitman series is on "hiatus", in terms of developing new games, IO Interactive's attention turns to James Bond instead. If you didn't know, IO is making a James Bond game and it's called Project 007. It was announced two years ago and IO hasn't said anything since.

I had a chance to talk to IO co-owners Christian Elverdam and Hakan Abrak recently, though, so I thought I'd ask and see if there was anything more they could say. And I was pleasantly surprised.

"I think we can say a few things..." Elverdam began.

"First of all, it's extremely awe-inspiring and literally just inspiring to work with the team at Eon [Productions], the people who are behind everything Bond," he said. "It's odd because from my perspective, I've been used to defending Agent 47; people want to do things with our franchise and you feel that stewardship."

(Did you ever see the Hitman film with Timothy Olyphant? Right.)

"And obviously for them, that is their role in the Bond franchise. So for us it's been about finding a mutual understanding of 'what is James Bond about?'

"And as we've talked about," he added, "we're doing an origin [story], because one thing, to show the trust they've instilled in us, is that we're allowed to build a James Bond for the games [audience], which I think is a profound homage to where our industry is and where the medium is, in the sense that yes, it's time to have a James Bond character who was not a movie character but who's comfortably just his own game character.

"And getting to earn that trust has been very, very, humbling, and we feel honoured."

Elverdam recalled a trip the team took to Pinewood Studios, to the set of James Bond - a trip he couldn't talk about until now, it seems. "And I recall Hakan and I, and part of the crew, walking around in what we later found out was the streets of Havana in No Time to Die, and getting to M's office," he said. "And you feel extremely humbled and you understand the gravity of what James Bond actually is.

"So that's the journey we're on: trying to understand. I think we can safely say we're very good at agent fantasy and everything we've learned with our Hitman franchise, and now we're rediscovering new sides of the agent fantasy with James Bond."

Elverdam recalled a trip the team took to Pinewood Studios, to the set of James Bond - a trip he couldn't talk about until now, it seems. "And I recall Hakan and I, and part of the crew, walking around in what we later found out was the streets of Havana in No Time to Die, and getting to M's office," he said. "And you feel extremely humbled and you understand the gravity of what James Bond actually is.

"So that's the journey we're on: trying to understand. I think we can safely say we're very good at agent fantasy and everything we've learned with our Hitman franchise, and now we're rediscovering new sides of the agent fantasy with James Bond."

What really appealed to Elverdam and IO about the licence, and what gave them hope about the idea of creating their own James Bond, was how often Bond had been reinvented over the years for new audiences. Like everyone else, Elverdam had been "super-enthusiastic" about the arrival of Daniel Craig in the role 17 (how many?!) years ago. "I also think that gave a belief that perhaps this could be a thing, that you could reinvent Bond for a games medium," Elverdam said.

Exactly when the Bond-IO deal was inked, they didn't say - maybe it was in 2013, or perhaps discussions only began then. Regardless, with each passing year and each subsequent Hitman release, and the community that was building around it - this evolving, single-player universe - the case for IO doing Bond got stronger and stronger.

"And I think some of these things are something that appealed to them, both at MGM and Eon," Hakan Abrak added. "It's not just capitalising on IP and doing one game and trying to earn something - it's not like that. When we commit to something we commit with everything: with community and how we grow this love for the game we're doing, and for the IP that we also promised we will treat like our own. And we'll create a community that the gamers can call their own.

"It's something that can stand next to the TV and the movies and whatnot. This can be something where the gamers say, 'Well it's not just a gamification of a video [and] did they convey Daniel Craig well or not? I don't know, let me look at the pixels.' It's an origin story. It's the beginning of something new and it's the beginning, hopefully, of something that the gamers can call their own."

Bond - or Project 007 - will be the next big focus for IO, with the fantasy MMO simmering behind it, but there's no word from either of the IO co-owners on when we'll hear more about it. Whenever it does arrive, though, it will be the first major Bond game since the widely-panned 007 Legends more than 10 years ago.

It'll be interesting to see how IO differentiates Bond from Agent 47 and Hitman. Will the 'social stealth' disguises from Hitman translate? Will there be more gadgets and gizmos? Will there be more story and less of a sandbox? We'll have to wait and see. But the prospect is mouth-watering.

 

[kangaxx]

That's a lot of words to say the square root of fuck all. Also, don't they have sub editors? Two paragraphs are repeated in the middle.

 

[Caim]

Okay, so nothing new. I've got the same questions as in the last paragraph, but I'll have to wait for those to be answered.

 

[Ash]

Reminder that the best and only true good Bond game is this:

and that canon Bond is now an emasculated little bitch just like the average modern game dev! Cries on screen, acts as a vector for corporations pushing product, and overuse of shaky cam to hide the lazy shit-tier action.

 

[Ezekiel]

Video game would have been the medium to set James Bond in the 1950s. Probably can't do it in movies because it would be too expensive and they couldn't promote new products in the movie. He's irrelevant in our times. Doesn't belong anymore. I wanna go back to more analog spying. Simple tools. Music should be totally acoustic as well, no hint of modernism.

 

[J1M]

Origin stories are for smooth brains by smooth brains.

 

[Wunderbar]

Video game would have been the medium to set James Bond in the 1950s. Probably can't do it in movies because it would be too expensive and they couldn't promote new products in the movie. He's irrelevant in our times. Doesn't belong anymore. I wanna go back to more analog spying. Simple tools. Music should be totally acoustic as well, no hint of modernism.

but the game will likely be set in the modern times, so the devs could reuse their existing Hitman assets.

 

[baud]

Origin stories are for smooth brains by smooth brains.

setting a new installment of the saga before more recent episodes doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be an origin story. Too bad Hollywood is too smoothbrain to understand that

 

[PrK]

The continued defilement of James Bond meets the DRM-infested, online only faggotry, what could go wrong.