The developer of theHitmanfranchise,IO Interactive, is working on a new title which could be a multiplayer RPG. “Project Fantasy” was revealed about a month ago by the developer and was described as an online fantasy RPG. However, it seems likeIO Interactiveis building the game to be more than just that.
IO Interactive is a Danish video game developer with its main office based in Copenhagen. The company was founded in 1998 with the merging of two entities, Reto-Moto, a video game developer, and Nordisk Film, a film studio. Early on, IOI started discussing the possibility of a fantasy MMO under the title “Rex Dominus.” However, Nordisk Film asked the team to cease production and rather make a simple shooter. What IOI eventually landed on was a run-and-gun action game which laterdeveloped intoHitman: Codename 47. to create the game, IOI also built Glacier, its very own game engine. The developers were hoping to create a better death animation than what was standard in the industry at the time. This turned into the first use of advanced ragdoll physics in a video game.
RELATED:Hitman Fan Reveals What Agent 47 Would Look Like With Hair
In a job listing posted earlier this year, IOI included an interesting detail. The position in question is for a Lead Gameplay Programmer, specifically for Project Fantasy. Among the requirements listed, IOI hopes for an individual who has worked on an AAA title before, “preferably multiplayer.” This does make it very likely the upcoming game will either have multiplayer elements or will be entirely a multiplayer RPG. It’s also interesting to think about how IOI introduced the project on its website. It very much sounds like a passion project, which most of its employers have at least some level of emotional connection to. “For many, this journey is also a deeply personal one that began long before we started making games for a living,” reads the statement underneath theannouncement of Project Fantasy.
Fans may wonder ifProject Fantasy is actually IOI returningto its original dream, which was then titled Rex Dominus. More than likely the original concept didn’t survive since its conception 25 years ago, but it could be a theory worth considering. The fact that IOI wished to start out with a fantasy MMO, and now the company is sharing its personal connection to an online fantasy RPG, which looks to have multiplayer elements at least is too interesting to ignore.
Whether the theory about IOI returning to its first project is right or wrong fans might learn from the developers later down the line. But it seems more than likely that whileIOI is taking a break fromHitmanand focusing on Project Fantasy, those efforts will include creating a multiplayer game.
MORE:A John Wick Game Should Look at an Iconic Series for Inspiration
