IO Interactive: How Hitman Made Big Wins With Smarter, Less Costly Work
Game makers often say rising costs make game prices go up. But an interview with IO Interactive's boss, Hakan Abrak, shows a new view. He tells how his team made Hitman 3 a hit on a much smaller budget by learning from old errors.
Hakan Abrak, Boss of IO Interactive
Learning from Hitman: Absolution's "Wasteful" Ways
Abrak shared that making Hitman: Absolution taught them a lot. He said the team made too many of the same things and used tools they would throw away. They did not work to make tools they could use again and again.
"In 2012, I was in charge of Absolution, and after that, I said I would never add more toilets to the game," Abrak said. "We made everything from scratch. It was like throwing money away. When we started on Hitman 2016, we focused on using things again in smart ways. [...] After Absolution, the whole way we thought changed a lot. It was too costly before."
The "Smart Reuse" Way and Its Effects
This change in thinking led to a better and more successful way to make games for Hitman. IO Interactive put a lot of money into making a strong set of tools early on. This let them make new Hitman games that got good reviews but cost less each time.
Abrak gave rough costs: "Let’s say Hitman 2016 cost $100 million. The second part cost 60 million. And the third cost just 20 million, and it got the best scores on Metacritic. 85, 84, and 87 for the three games." He pointed out that they did this even though each game had new, different places.
What This Means for Future Projects like "007 First Light"
This smart way of working might shape IO Interactive’s next projects, like their new James Bond game, "007 First Light." Abrak knows the Bond game will need more money because it's a big project, but the idea of planning for the long term and using assets wisely will stay the same.
IO Interactive plans to keep adding to "007 First Light" long after it comes out, much like they did with Hitman 3. Their focus on smart, cost-effective work is different from talks about games like Starfield, where the wide range of in-game items like toilets got attention.
"007 First Light" is set to come out in 2026 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series, and Nintendo Switch 2.
