Hitman and Project 007 developer IO Interactive opens Brighton studio

IO Interactive (IOI) has opened a new studio in Brighton to bring development of Project 007, which is billed as "the first James Bond origin story," to the UK.

The company, best known for working on the Hitman franchise, has already staffed its Brighton studio with a "core team" but has ambitions to further expand by attracting the "best talent" from the UK development scene.

"We are extremely proud and excited to open our next studio in Brighton, where we see enormous potential to expand our incredible team and attract the very best talent from the exciting UK development scene," said IOI CEO, Hakan Abrak, in a press release.

"We're eager to expand our operations to new shores and believe that IOI Brighton is an extremely appealing destination for developers of all crafts."

Hitman developer IOI continues global expansion

The opening means IOI now has five studios across Brighton, Copenhagen, Malmo, Barcelona, and Istanbul. IOI said all five will be expected to make "significant contributions" to all of its in-development projects, including Project Fantasy and Hitman.

This is the second studio IOI has opened in 2023. Back in March, the company cut the ribbon on a studio in Istanbul to establish a "foothold for triple-A development" in the region.

Much like its new Brighton studio, IOI said its Istanbul team would play a "significant role" in the development of its upcoming James Bond title while also working on Hitman and Project Fantasy.

Project Fantasy itself was only unveiled a few months ago. IOI whipped the curtain off the unnamed online fantasy RPG back in February, and said it hopes the title will turn into a franchise it can support for "many years to come."