IO Interactive Lays Off Staff After Losing Partner for 'Project Fantasy'
The developer of '007 First Light' is cutting jobs after its external partner for the next major franchise 'Project Fantasy' (reportedly Microsoft) ended the relationship. The studio says it remains fully committed to the project.
IO Interactive, the studio behind the Hitman series and the recently released 007 First Light, has announced layoffs after an "external partner" relationship for its next big IP, Project Fantasy, "has come to an end." Project Fantasy is described as an "online fantasy RPG," and reports from Kotaku and Bloomberg indicate that Microsoft was the partner, as the company plans significant cuts as part of a broader "reset" of the Xbox business.
The exact number of affected employees is unclear. IO Interactive stated it is "fully committed to supporting those affected through this challenging transition." The studio also emphasized that it remains "100% committed to" Project Fantasy and promises that "this wonderful universe will see the light of day."
An Xbox spokesperson told Bloomberg that the company is "taking a fresh look at where we invest so we’re focusing on our highest priorities," adding that Xbox is "not reducing our overall investment in games" and expects to invest about the same in content as last year, but with changes in where the investment goes.
The layoffs follow the success of 007 First Light, which launched in May and quickly sold 3 million copies. In a recent interview with The Verge, Amazon's games boss would not confirm if IO would develop a potential sequel, noting that Amazon will decide who makes the next Bond game "as the dust settles on this one."
