IO Interactive retain Hitman rights after becoming an independent studio

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IO Interactive have announced on their site that they are once again an independent studio after agreeing to a management buyout from Square Enix.

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by Liam Andrews

​@pass_controller

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Last month, Square Enix announced they were listening to offers for IO Interactive after suffering “extraordinary” losses of around £33 million during the last fiscal year, but after successfully negotiating a management buyout with Square Enix, IO will now officially become an independent studio whilst retaining full rights to the Hitman IP.

IO Interactive CEO, Hakan Abrak, described returning to their roots and becoming an independent developer once again as a “watershed” moment for the studio:
 
“As of today, we have complete control over the direction for our studio and the Hitman IP – we’re about to forge our own future and it’s incredibly exciting. We are now open to opportunities with future collaborators and partners to help strengthen us as a studio and ensure that we can produce the best games possible for our community,” he said.
 
“I would like to say a big and sincere thank you to all of our players, community, friends in the media and everyone else connected to the studio for the messages of support that we have received in the last few weeks. I would also like to thank Square Enix; it has been a great family to be a part of and we are proud of what we have achieved together in the last eight years.”
 
IO will share more details about their plans for the latest HITMAN sometime next week.
 
Are you pleased to see the futures of both IO and the Hitman franchise secured? Let us know below.

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