Square Enix announced earlier this month the sale of IO Interactive, a company that was no longer part of the Japanese conglomerate and would be suffering a wave of job cuts. Now, after announcing its fiscal results that is based on a newly released transcript, the president of Square Enix, Yosuke Matsuda, confirms that they are negotiating with external investors to guarantee the future of the Hitman license.
While IO Interactive would have options to retain rights to the series, Square Enix would be interested in securing the future of the license. “Our decision to withdraw from the IO Interactive business was the result of a review of our portfolio that we conducted as part of our effort to concentrate our resources in order to strengthen our development capabilities,” Matsuda told.
“Because the firm is engaged in the development of Hitman and other renowned titles, we are negotiating with prospective external investors capable of ensuring that these titles carry on,” explains Matsuda.
With this decision, the future of the second season of Hitman’s episodic game , already confirmed by IO Interactive, was uncertain. If, however, the rights to the game are included, it is possible that a new game year still happens.
While this is not an expressed confirmation that we see games starring Agent 47 in the short run, yes, it is a small relief for the followers of this saga of stealth, and therefore for IO Interactive.
The last title of the saga, Hitman, is an episodic and seasonal game. It was released on Xbox One, PS4 and PC.
