IO Interactive General Thread - Developers of Project 007, Hitman, Freedom Fighters, Kane & Lynch (and Mini Ninjas)

[Tom Nook's Gloryhole]

Lets not forget Isle of Sgail which featured targets Venus and Serena Williams (sorry, knock off counterparts) giving long rambling woke speeches about how to control the future on their terms, or the ability to murder an elderly communist in his own home.

I've honestly loved how the Hitman series doesn't even attempt to go for moral grandstandings, the game is simply about killing 'bad' people, no matter who or what they are. He's killed the Vice President, he's killed a paedo in an opera house, he's killed fascists, communists and anarchists, he's killed movie directors and theme park owners, he's killed scientists, he's killed men and women in violent ways, the only thing he hasn't killed are children and even then that might only be canonically for gameplay reasons.

 

[BetterFuckChuck]

Lets not forget Isle of Sgail which featured targets Venus and Serena Williams (sorry, knock off counterparts) giving long rambling woke speeches about how to control the future on their terms, or the ability to murder an elderly communist in his own home.

I've honestly loved how the Hitman series doesn't even attempt to go for moral grandstandings, the game is simply about killing 'bad' people, no matter who or what they are. He's killed the Vice President, he's killed a paedo in an opera house, he's killed fascists, communists and anarchists, he's killed movie directors and theme park owners, he's killed scientists, he's killed men and women in violent ways, the only thing he hasn't killed are children and even then that might only be canonically for gameplay reasons.

that game is such a funny like summation of how the rich operate because you have the Washington sisters who are daughters of a black conservative who are switching to green energy not for the right reasons but because it's popular. They make speeches of being proud of their privilege and lecture the old white man on not being privilege enough. There's a mix of coal baron magnates and hollywood libs complaining about MRAs on that island, all united by their wealth and their fear of a world where theyre not on top

 

[xXx: State of the Union]

the only thing he hasn't killed are children and even then that might only be canonically for gameplay reasons.

I feel like Hitman 2 and Absolution kind of set 47 up to not be willing to kill children, or at the very least, accept a contract on them.

 

[CAPTAIN HAPPY]

I'd be pretty neat if they'd improve the later games cutscenes to match the first one's quality.

 

[Ash97]

I'd be pretty neat if they'd improve the later games cutscenes to match the first one's quality.

Yeah, going back to H2's slideshows is weird af. At least the cutscenes were back for 3...

 

[ZMOT]

Also buy Hitman 3 on steam rn, it's 20 dollars and since youll get the 1&2 levels for free come jan 26 it means you dont have to pay the full 70 for all three games and thus can save that money for the DLC maps which are realy good

nah, fuck that, it's still FOMO shit. there's absolutely nothing preventing them from releasing h3 only and add the h1/h2 as addon, instead of the retarded "h3 with full h1 and bit of h2" and "h3 extra shit with h2 extra shit" forcing people who missed the old package having to pay again. it also doesn't help that they're removing 1 and 2, so if you already own parts of you're shit outta luck afterwards and have to buy full packages.

should have a proper DLC scheme from the start, and especially less retarded naming schemes for it.

 

[Pissmaster]

nah, fuck that, it's still FOMO shit. there's absolutely nothing preventing them from releasing h3 only and add the h1/h2 as addon, instead of the retarded "h3 with full h1 and bit of h2" and "h3 extra shit with h2 extra shit" forcing people who missed the old package having to pay again.

They literally announced that the game's getting rebranded to "Hitman: World of Assassination", with all the content from H1 GOTY and H2 base. The new DLC bundle will be the DLC from 2 and 3, and they've announced one of those "Complete your collection" deals if you only have some.

it also doesn't help that they're removing 1 and 2, so if you already own parts of you're shit outta luck afterwards and have to buy full packages.

You couldn't buy H2 piecemeal, and you haven't been able to buy H1 piecemeal for years. If you really wanted Hitman 2016 at a discount, you've had the past six years to keep an eye on it and buy it on sale. Seems like you're complaining just for the sake of complaining.

 

[ZMOT]

They literally announced that the game's getting rebranded to "Hitman: World of Assassination", with all the content from H1 GOTY and H2 base. The new DLC bundle will be the DLC from 2 and 3, and they've announced one of those "Complete your collection" deals if you only have some.

you mean exactly what I was saying and that there's no reason to bundle anything unless they want you to buy it again? thanks for reading I guess...

You couldn't buy H2 piecemeal, and you haven't been able to buy H1 piecemeal for years. If you really wanted Hitman 2016 at a discount, you've had the past six years to keep an eye on it and buy it on sale.

ah yes, hitman isn't notorious for needing a fucking guide to figure how all the dlc works, because apparently you never could buy it in that form anyway.
I've also never met anyone who thought "well, if you want game X you need to buy game Y" was great idea, or "gotta buy it now or have to buy parts of it again because they got removed". which makes

Seems like you're complaining just for the sake of complaining.

incredibly ironic considering https://kiwifarms.net/threads/your-2022-steam-winter-sale-haul.142239/#post-14050383

 

[Pissmaster]

you mean exactly what I was saying and that there's no reason to bundle anything unless they want you to buy it again? thanks for reading I guess...

"Complete your collection" is a Steam feature where they only sell you whatever you're missing from your collection at a discounted price, explicitly so that you don't have to repurchase anything.

ah yes, hitman isn't notorious for needing a fucking guide to figure how all the dlc works, because apparently you never could buy it in that form anyway.
I've also never met anyone who thought "well, if you want game X you need to buy game Y" was great idea, or "gotta buy it now or have to buy parts of it again because they got removed". which makes

incredibly ironic considering https://kiwifarms.net/threads/your-2022-steam-winter-sale-haul.142239/#post-14050383

Yes, being able to buy both Judgment and Lost Judgment on consoles for less than $30 is a much better deal than $88.32 on Steam. You're complaining about a game you could buy for $21 at the time.

 

[Ser Prize]

that game is such a funny like summation of how the rich operate because you have the Washington sisters who are daughters of a black conservative who are switching to green energy not for the right reasons but because it's popular. They make speeches of being proud of their privilege and lecture the old white man on not being privilege enough. There's a mix of coal baron magnates and hollywood libs complaining about MRAs on that island, all united by their wealth and their fear of a world where theyre not on top

I want 47 to go after more rich jewish oligarchs.

 

[Pitbull Victim]

Having all 21 levels across the three games laid out like that really shows how IO did a solid job with the maps.

My Top 3:
1. Miami - the race being a ticking clock that actually matters was a great feature and there's a ton of variety to how you can approach the mission.

2. Marrakesh - extremely replayable and all kinds of neat shit hidden eveywhere.

3. Either Berlin (fun gimmick with tracking down the targets) or Hokkaido (just a really well designed finale that makes use of the hospital setting).

Bottom 3:
1. Bangkok - the map I'd consider flat-out bad, it's the mandatory boring hotel level that's just two rectangles stuck next to each other.

2. Colorado - weird layout where basically nothing happens on one half of the map and an SA run (for me at least) always just descends into stacking half a dozen unconscious guards in the bathroom of the main house.

3. Mumbai - just kind of giant clusterfuck of a map with individually cool parts that don't really mesh.

 

[BetterFuckChuck]

I want 47 to go after more rich jewish oligarchs.

Dalia Margolis and Ezra Berg. Also whats really funny is they both know eachother lol

 

[Pissmaster]

Having all 21 levels across the three games laid out like that really shows how IO did a solid job with the maps.

My Top 3:
1. Miami - the race being a ticking clock that actually matters was a great feature and there's a ton of variety to how you can approach the mission.

2. Marrakesh - extremely replayable and all kinds of neat shit hidden eveywhere.

3. Either Berlin (fun gimmick with tracking down the targets) or Hokkaido (just a really well designed finale that makes use of the hospital setting).

Bottom 3:
1. Bangkok - the map I'd consider flat-out bad, it's the mandatory boring hotel level that's just two rectangles stuck next to each other.

2. Colorado - weird layout where basically nothing happens on one half of the map and an SA run (for me at least) always just descends into stacking half a dozen unconscious guards in the bathroom of the main house.

3. Mumbai - just kind of giant clusterfuck of a map with individually cool parts that don't really mesh.

Miami's my favorite too, though I liked Bangkok enough. The hotel had enough going on to make every location feel distinct, and the target was satisfyingly douchey enough to be a fun mark.

 

[Hazel Motes]

Let's not forgot our boy Agent 47 is a Catholic.

Hitman games are great. Playing Berlin for the first time without knowing what happens was one my favorite gaming moments of the past decade.

 

[GatorAids]

It's been over 2 years since they announced 007 and they have some huge RPG in the works too. How the fuck are they planning on either of these coming out this decade when they only have around 200 employees?

 

[BetterFuckChuck]

It's been over 2 years since they announced 007 and they have some huge RPG in the works too. How the fuck are they planning on either of these coming out this decade when they only have around 200 employees?

I dont know if im for sure getting the numbers right but IOI has got three studios now, with the intention of having about 200 per studio once all the hiring's done according to the CEO. I think he said that its easier to keep the sort of indiesque corporate culture at that number. Their financial reports indicate they dont intend to publish any new games until after 2025 I think?

IOI's annual general meeting was held on August 8 (last Monday), during which their annual report was approved.

I'll summarize some interesting findings in this post. However, if you want to read the report yourself, then you can find the PDF here.

TL;DR for the rest of the post:

1. IOI's revenue and profits are still very high, due to Hitman 3's launch on Steam and XBOX Game Pass, as well as the fact that IOI's backlog continues to perform well.
2. IOI is considering to open more studios in new countries, and will continue to "look for publishing opportunities for other companies and their games."
3. IOI expects "long production phases ahead before the next releases hit the market", and expects revenue to decrease significantly in financial year 2024 and 2025. This might be an indication that their new games will launch after March 2025.

Financial aspects

I made the graph below to put IOI's profit, revenue, and number of employees into context. In financial year 2022 (April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022) the revenue of IO Interactive was 538 million Danish crowns (DKK), equivalent to roughly 70 million euros or dollars. This was more than twice higher than what IOI expected for this year. The profit of IOI went from 271 million DKK in the previous financial year to about 189 million DKK (roughly 25 million euros) this financial year. IO Interactive continues to expand with roughly 151 full-time employees on average this financial year, vs. 135 full-time employees last year.

Profit, revenue, and number of employees of IOI from 2016 until 2022. Note: 1 DKK is equal to €0.13 or $0.14.

Management's review

Hitman 3 continues to perform well, despite having been launched more than a year ago. This is attributed to the game's launch on Steam and the addition of Hitman 3 to XBOX Game Pass.

Management also notes: "IO will continue its diversification of products through new platforms, namely mobile gaming. We continue to look for publishing opportunities for other companies and their games." Additionally, "IO Interactive is considering opening more subsidiary studios in new countries to accommodate for our needs for growth."

Management's outlook

Management expects revenue for the next financial year to be similar to this year (450-500 million DKK).

They also note the following: "There is a risk the next couple of calendar years, the EBITDA and profits will drop. This is due to long production phases ahead, before the next releases hit the market. More precisely fiscal 24 and 25 estimates show a significant decrease."

This is speculation, but the previous paragraph may be an indication that IOI's next game(s) will not launch in financial year 2024 and 2025, but after 2025.

my sources: https://www.hitmanforum.com/t/io-in...s-for-fy2021-following-hitman-3s-launch/12017

r/HiTMAN - IOI Financial report: new games expected after 2025?

86 votes and 27 comments so far on Reddit

www.reddit.com

Theyre planning to expand to at least 400 employees in order to do Bond I think

 

[GatorAids]

I dont know if im for sure getting the numbers right but IOI has got three studios now, with the intention of having about 200 per studio once all the hiring's done according to the CEO. I think he said that its easier to keep the sort of indiesque corporate culture at that number. Their financial reports indicate they dont intend to publish any new games until after 2025 I think?

my sources: https://www.hitmanforum.com/t/io-in...s-for-fy2021-following-hitman-3s-launch/12017

r/HiTMAN - IOI Financial report: new games expected after 2025?

86 votes and 27 comments so far on Reddit

www.reddit.com

Theyre planning to expand to at least 400 employees in order to do Bond I think

I have to wonder what they mean by publish though. They've said they are going to self publish 007, but the RPG is published by Microsoft so does that count? It's gonna take an insane amount of time for any of their games to come out except maybe 007 if the Hitman team is making it. Barcelona is making the RPG and hiring for game dev is a pain in the ass and takes forever. No clue what their studio in Cuckshed, Sweden is up to.

 

[BetterFuckChuck]

I have to wonder what they mean by publish though. They've said they are going to self publish 007, but the RPG is published by Microsoft so does that count? It's gonna take an insane amount of time for any of their games to come out except maybe 007 if the Hitman team is making it. Barcelona is making the RPG and hiring for game dev is a pain in the ass and takes forever. No clue what their studio in Cuckshed, Sweden is up to.

If I were to guess maybe they will help publish other, smaller games from indie studios. I think I remember something about them wanting to make an MMO? like I know before they did Hitman when IO got set up in 1999 they originally wanted to do an MMO and I thought I heard theyd be returning to that

 

[GatorAids]

If I were to guess maybe they will help publish other, smaller games from indie studios. I think I remember something about them wanting to make an MMO? like I know before they did Hitman when IO got set up in 1999 they originally wanted to do an MMO and I thought I heard theyd be returning to that

All that is really known about their game from Barcelona is that it's published by Microsoft, is an RPG of some sort, and it features dragons. So it could be an MMO. However if they're wanting to make an MMO they're gonna need way more than 200 people. Also I doubt MS would greenlight another MMO when they already have TES and all they need to do is tell the retards at ZOS to fix their PVP and monetization for then to actually have a decent MMO.

I'm kinda baffled they didn't go to IO for Perfect Dark, that would have been a perfect fit for IO and would no doubt be better than whatever will come from the reboot.

 

[BetterFuckChuck]

In preparation for freelancer in like almost 24 hours i decided to tier list all the suits, maps and individual targets with my most updated thoughts (at least using the newest tier lists i could find, im pretty sure the suits are already out-dated). if anyone else wants to give their reasoning or challenge my thoughts i'd love to hear it and contribute your own. heres the ones i used:

https://tiermaker.com/create/ultimate-hitman-world-of-assassination-targets-367388

Create a Hitman WOA Maps Tierlist Tier List

A tierlist template for all 21 Hitman: World of Assassination maps! (+ both training maps)

tiermaker.com

Create a Hitman Suits (12/08/2022) Tier List

Create a Hitman Suits (12/08/2022) tier list. Check out our other Video Games tier list templates and the most recent user submitted Video Games tier lists.

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