Following the release of a published transcription of Square Enix’s May 11, 2017 financial briefing, more information has been dropped on the break up between the publisher of Final Fantasy and IO Interactive.
“Our decision to withdraw from the IO Interactive A/S 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,” says President and Representative Director of Square Enix, Yosuke Matsuda during the investors meeting. “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.”
This news is probably reassuring to fans of IO Interactive’s work. Following the announcement of Square Enix’s departure from the acclaimed developer, many wondered what that meant for franchises like Hitman and Kane and Lynch. Hitman specifically is a strong franchise tied to multiple movies (which admittedly, weren’t well received).
Despite the lack of box office success, the Hitman franchise is one of the most revered series in gaming. 2012’s Hitman: Absolution received praise from critics and fans alike for its demand on the player to think on their feet. More recently, however, the serialized Hitman (2016) took the franchise in a whole new direction, allowing players to jump into smaller more compact maps that were released throughout the year with events and special missions to keep users coming back.
