IO Interactive

IO Interactive is a Danish video game developer based in Copenhagen, best known for developing the Hitman franchise.

The company was founded in 1998 by the development team of Reto-Moto and Nordisk Film.

Eidos Interactive acquired IO Interactive in March 2004, which was then acquired by Square Enix in 2009 and renamed Square Enix Europe.

Square Enix ceased funding for IO Interactive in 2017 and required a buyer; however, IO Interactive performed a management buyout to become independent and regain rights to its franchises Hitman and Freedom Fighters.

IO Interactive has four subsidiary studios: IOI Malmö in Sweden, IOI Barcelona in Spain, IOI Istanbul in Turkey, and IOI Brighton in England.

The company’s debut hit was 2000’s Hitman: Codename 47, followed by a sequel titled Hitman 2: Silent Assassin. In 2003, Electronic Arts released Freedom Fighters, which is an IO Interactive-developed third-person shooter game.

The first game released under Eidos was Hitman: Contracts, the third Hitman game.

In 2020, IO Interactive worked with MGM and Eon Productions on an original James Bond video game announced as Project 007. The game was released in May 2026 as 007 First Light.