In November 2020, IO Interactive made headlines with the announcement that they would be developing a new James Bond game: Project 007. Last seen in 007 Legacy, a game that served more as an homage to Bond by revisiting six memorable storylines from film adaptations, a full-fledged game has not been released for the franchise since 2012. A new entry is long overdue.
After the third and final installment of the Hitman "World of Assassination" trilogy, IO Interactive confirmed the series it has been the lead on for since 2000 would be shelved while the team focused on delivering Project 007, an as-yet unnamed new James Bond game. Given the excellent critical reception of the latest Hitman trilogy, expectations are already high for the studio to Bond back to consoles.
What Bond and Agent 47 Share
At face value, both Bond and Agent 47 are similar. Both are operatives of secret organizations, trained as expert operatives in infiltration, espionage, sabotage, and assassination. The parallels deepen when considering that 47 has Diana as his handler, meanwhile Bond has Moneypenny as his, and both often find themselves embroiled in world-changing plots under the nefarious scheme of shadowy organizations, from Providence to Spectre.
IO Interactive being the lead on Project 007 looks like a match made in heaven, as much of the legwork built across its latest Hitman trilogy can be easily extrapolated to meet the needs of Bond. The formula perfected across the trilogy centers gameplay in an open, almost sandbox world where the player is free to explore and engage with the level however they please. Complementing this are game mechanics befitting the skills of Agent 47, such as adopting different disguises in order to remain covert and infiltrate restricted areas with tools to dispatch or execute targets. This all falls under the same purview of Bond’s expertise as a spy, meaning IO Interactive has a solid foundation to springboard into development of Project 007.
What Bond Could Learn From Agent 47
Prior to now, Bond games have always favored a more linear, structured approach, often to mirror an already existing plot as adaptations of the latest film. But this is all set to change as IO Interactive co-owner Hakan Abrak told Danish media outlet DR.dk that Project 007 will boast a completely original version of James Bond. While this doesn’t rule out that previous elements of Bond games may make their way into Project 007, especially given the wealth of unused James Bond storylines available, it is clear that IO intends to revolutionize the franchise.
The breakaway from a traditional formula could lead to Project 007 incorporating aspects of Hitman into its design, building on what already exists to elevate the experience of playing James Bond. With obvious examples including allowing Bond to use disguises, bigger influences may come from the shift to an open-world sandbox. The World of Assassination trilogy prided itself on creating dense, vibrant levels that allowed players to explore and approach completing objectives in unique ways. With the addition of rich, compelling characters who have their own behaviors and backstories, this open-world approach would suit a Bond game perfectly, providing a balance between story and gameplay.
What Bond Could Teach Agent 47
While Hitman is certainly an exceptional franchise, there’s room for IO to use new opportunities when working with James Bond. As much as Hitman is going to influence Project 007, IO could break new ground by allowing James Bond to re-imagine its traditional design. Agent 47 is borderline psychopathic and seemingly uncharismatic compared to the suave sophistication of Bond. It’s no secret as to why James Bond films continue to succeed at the box office, yet Hitman movie adaptations get mixed receptions.
But 47’s expressionless demeanor has served well as the basis of previous Hitman games, providing players an enigmatic character to focus their play experience through as they glean the history of Agent 47 that made him the way he is. Though this is going to present more of a challenge for bringing Bond to the gaming scene given audiences have a fairly extensive knowledge of his history, and it's expected that players can see Bond's charisma to charm his way through situations.
IO is going to need to build off the few previous demonstrations of 47's emotion to flesh out a compelling, sympathetic, and ultimately likable main character. This could lead to the introduction of the player being able to interact with NPCs more directly, departing from Hitman’s previous format of looming ominously nearby. An excellent opportunity for this could build on 47’s ability to "blend in" at certain locations within a level, where alternatively Bond could be given prompts to engage with other characters, generate new story leads, or teach players valuable pieces of information.
The latest Hitman trilogy also lacked a high-octane edge that Bond might reintroduce. Usually, IO has never needed to force a gameplay sequence that might challenge or test the player’s wits, only ever going as far as implementing elements such as time limits on completing certain objectives. Previous Bond games have never shied away from ramping up the intensity for its players, and wield an ample background for IO to draw from. While quick-time events might be frowned upon, the exploration of chase sequences and vehicles in Bond films could inform Project 007’s development.
Project 007 remains quiet, but what is known seems promising. Since the project was announced in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, news may be far on the horizon for the time being. It remains to be seen what direction IO Interactive takes Project 007, as it is entirely possible that the studio takes its game in a completely new direction, fueled by the current limbo of James Bond's cinematic future. In the meantime, players will eagerly await the next announcement to come from IO Interactive.
Project 007 is in development.