Last year, IO Interactive announced that it was working on a James Bond video game, with the working title being Project 007. It will seemingly feature an entirely new James Bond story, showcasing the very first origin story for the character. Notably, this will be the first James Bond video game since 2012’s 007 Legends, an unusually long gap for a franchise that typically had a new game every year or two for quite some time.
IO Interactive is probably best known for its work on the Hitman series, which sees Hitman 3 release this month. The Hitman series and what a James Bond game could feature definitely have some overlap, and that makes IO Interactive a great choice for a Bond video game. That said, Project 007 should absolutely have some notable differences from the Hitman franchise.
Project 007 should definitely benefit from IO Interactive‘s reputation for creating games that have a crazy amount of gameplay possibilities. There are so many different ways to play the Hitman games, with so many different ways to accomplish the goal. In the tutorial mission in Hitman 2016 alone, the player can assassinate the target in at least half a dozen different ways, all with their own unique prep work in order to make it happen. Later levels have a ton more options and intricacy, proving IO’s mettle when it comes to designing gameplay that gives the player freedom to decide how they want to go about accomplishing the task at hand.
This kind of creative problem-solving would be absolutely fantastic for Project 007. James Bond always either has a ton of cool gadgetry at his disposal, or he makes do with what he finds along the way. If IO could find a way to combine some creative Bond-style gadgets with their already existing system of using anything and everything the player finds as a tool, it could create some seriously satisfying moments.
The locations in Hitman games, especially the most recent ones, are chock-full of a mesmerizing amount of detail. Part of this is to ensure that there are a ton of options available for the player when it comes to the gameplay, but there’s no denying the amount of immersion that it adds to the whole experience. There are huge crowds, lived-in environments, and believable building layouts, all of which make the game more complex, but more rewarding.
This level of detail belongs in Project 007. Bond stories are always packed with awesome environments that leave an impression, so the game can’t afford to be any different. The locations visited have to feel almost over the top, but not quite. It’s a fine line to tread, but it’s one that the Bond movies tend to tread pretty well, and for the game to fit in, it’s going to have to rise to the occasion.
The Hitman games are episodic in nature, and that might not be the best thing for Project 007. It absolutely works for the format of Hitman: each episode is a new target (or targets) and a new location, so it makes sense to format it in the way that it is. It’s a formula that fits the kind of gameplay that IO is going for in the Hitman games, and enables it to create the kind of gameplay scenarios that the series is known for.
But a Bond game isn’t necessarily going to be about bouncing around the world to take out targets. Bond isn’t a hitman, even if his job does sometimes involve killing someone specific. A Bond game could definitely feature levels instead of an open-world; this even feels likely. But Bond’s missions aren’t always get-in get-out, like many of the missions are in the Hitman series. No, things go wrong in a Bond mission, and then he needs to think on his feet to make everything work. An episodic style could work for this kind of a thing, but it would subtly change the way people are used to a Bond story functioning. At the very least, the episodes will have to be a little less self-contained.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with Hitman‘s storytelling, but the story is just not the primary focus of the game. Most players aren’t playing the game for the story, though the story is there for those who want it. However, things are going to have to be different for a Bond game. While Bond movies are flashy, with stunning action sequences and insane set-pieces, the thing that those movies are there to do is tell a story. A story about James Bond, a character who has pushed to his limits every other day and seems to always, somehow, find a way to be okay at the end of it.
Gameplay is going to be important in Project 007, but there will need to be a bigger focus on the story than there is in Hitman. There has to be an interesting antagonist, and there have to be some twists along the way. Bond has to be tested, and players will have to learn more about his resolve because that is the point of a story about James Bond.
IO Interactive seems, at face value, to be the perfect choice to be the latest to adapt James Bond to the gaming world. IO has a knack for creating gameplay that just makes sense for the kind of game that it seems like a James Bond game will need to be; it just has the right sensibilities. Some things might have to change from IO’s usual formula, but it’s possible that could push IO to make a stellar game.
Project 007 is currently in development.
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