Looks like it’ll be a little while before we get that second season of Hitman, folks. Square Enix announced today that they’re selling Danish developer IO Interactive.
In a short statement to its investors, Square outlined their decision to let the studio go:
To maximize player satisfaction as well as market potential going forward, we are focusing our resources and energies on key franchises and studios. As a result, the Company has regrettably decided to withdraw from the business of IO INTERACTIVE A/S, a wholly?owned subsidiary and a Danish corporation, as of March 31, 2017. This decision has resulted in booking of the extraordinary loss amounting to 4,898 million yen, including disposition of the content production account related to the business and impairment loss of intangible assets, in the financial results for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017.
The statement continued to confirm that “the Company started discussions with potential new investors and is currently in negotiations to secure this investment,” suggesting there may be hope yet for the stability and future of IO, though Square could give “no guarantees that that the negotiations will be concluded successfully.” On a more hopeful note, several tweets from IO this morning paint a slightly less dire picture:
@Hugo__OS Thanks for tweeting us. There’s a lot going on right now and we’ll have more to say at a later point. For now, back to making games.”
— Io-Interactive (@IOInteractive) May 11, 2017
Last August, the developer said they hoped to squeeze three seasons out of their newly episodic version of Hitman, and the above tweet may imply that we shouldn’t completely give up hope yet. You can check out our glowing review of the game’s first season here, or read about the title’s masterful approach to character here. Be sure to check back with Paste for any updates on the future of IO Interactive and the Hitman franchise.