IO Interactive finally spills more details on its unannounced new IP, and the game appears to be an innovative multiplayer game with a fresh concept.
Right now Hitman developer IO Interactive is working on three projects: Hitman 3 DLC (and possibly another Hitman game), a new James Bond game codenamed Project 007, and a new IP. We've known about IO Interactive's new IP since 2017, but not much info has been gleaned--until now.
Following a new studio expansion, IO is currently hiring 21 people for the new project, which will be spear-headed by its Malmo, Sweden-based studio. The job listings show the game is in very early stages, though; the roles range from higher-level executive producers to technical and gameplay directors. One listing in particular reveals potential scope for the project.
According to a Senior Multiplayer Network Programmer job listing, IO's new IP is a multiplayer-based experience with a "new concept" for consoles and PC:
"IO Interactive is building a strong and talented team of multiplayer programmers in MalmÜ and Copenhagen. We're cooking a brand-new title and concept that will continue the immersive mastery we got you used to, except on a whole other level of player interaction.
"You will get to extend the technology of our in-house Glacier engine with multiplayer capabilities. That means designing and implementing the network/multiplayer software stack for the engine, and for any in-house games that need to support multiplayer.
"At the same time, as an experienced network programmer, you will help mentor and inspire other members of the team to achieve high-level AAA multiplayer functionality."
In an era with tons of cookie-cutter multiplayer games, IO arguably has innovation in its DNA. The Hitman franchise is known for pushing AI dynamics to new levels, and the devs have actually made significant optimizations with their proprietary Glacier Engine tech by pushing over 300 NPCs at once on next-gen consoles.