IO Interactive, best known for the Hitman and Freedom Fighter franchises, has announced a brand new studio based out of Brighton, United Kingdom, titled IOI Brighton. Initially beginning production in 1998 as an independent developer, the studio was purchased by game publisher Eidos Interactive in 2004 for  £23 million. Square Enix would later purchase Eidos itself as part of its Western gaming division as Square Enix Europe just five years later. In 2017, Square Enix announced it would cease funding IOI, leading to layoffs and the remaining staff accomplishing a management buyout that same year. IOI would retain the rights to its signature franchises above in the buyout and return to being an independent developer & publisher starting with the release of 2021’s Hitman 3. In addition to IOI Brighton, the company has since opened three other studios based in Sweden, Spain, and Turkey.

IOI currently has a game based on the James Bond/007 franchise in development, which IOI Brightion will aid in development initially before moving on to other projects. IOI also has another title known as Project Fantasy in development which is currently set to be an online fantasy RPG, a first for the gaming studio.