Hitman creator IO Interactive has opened a new studio in Malmo, Sweden, the company has announced. The developer says the new site will "strengthen IO Interactive's commitment to deliver exceptional content to the Hitman franchise," though it also hints at other projects in the works.
“Furthermore, this will expand our muscles for creating brand-new and exciting endeavours, new universes, new franchises," said IOI CEO Hakan Abrak. "In other words, IOI Malmo and [existing studio] Copenhagen are one family."
As yet there's no clue what IOI is working on beyond additional Hitman 2 levels and missions, though it has previously stated it wanted Hitman (2016) to consist of three seasons of content. The studio is primarily known for creating and developing the Hitman franchise, but it has also worked on the Kane & Lynch series and the 2003 shooter Freedom Fighters--though it should be noted the studio does not own the latter two brands.
Hitman 2 received a positive critical reception, including an 8/10 from GameSpot. "The addition of other minor mechanical changes--like concussive weapons, a picture-in-picture enemy activity alert, and visible security camera sightlines--help to improve Hitman 2 overall as a dense and accessible stealth assassination game," wrote critic Edmond Tran in our Hitman 2 review.
"But the new locations are the real stars, impressive and inventive sandboxes ripe for picking apart with exciting experiments. Hitman is about experiencing the anticipation of seeing whether a plan will work when you try it for the first time. It's about feeling the tension of briskly walking away from a bad situation, hoping you can lose the suspicious guards. It's the satisfaction of knowing the machinations of a level so well that when a target moves into a particular place at a particular time, you have the perfect way to intervene. Hitman 2 is a familiar experience, but in the Hitman world, familiarity is an incredible strength."