IOI will only start "talking about the next Hitman" after World of Assassination's ambitious co-op mode arrives

I do love a bit of Hitman, and by proxy that should mean I'll love a bit of 007 First Light when that arrives next year, too. Even with its James Bond veneer, it's the closest thing we'll get to a new Hitman game from IO Interactive as it continues to support and expand the immensely successful World of Assassination trilogy. However, it appears that Hitman 4 is starting to come into view for IOI, knowing there's only so long it can keep plugging things into the current game. In a new interview, CEO Hakan Abrak says the studio will begin "talking about the next Hitman" only after it brings the Stone and Knight co-op mode to Hitman World of Assassination.

I was lucky enough to be sat in the audience for IOI's glitzy showcase in the summer, during which I got to interview 007 First Light developers, be one of the first to see the new content coming to Hitman World of Assassination, and get within a few feet of Mads Mikkelsen - I'll let you decide which of those is the coolest brag. While the Casino Royale-inspired Elusive Target mission was most people's highlight from the Hitman section of the showcase, I was most hooked by the introduction of two-player co-op. Letting you and a friend play as agents Stone and Knight, taking down targets as a duo is going to be a riot.

When IOI first revealed the co-op mode at the showcase in June, it was described as still being in early development, and it never gave a release date or window for when it would arrive in one of the best stealth games ever made. However, it seems like it will be World of Assassination's big swansong; a final cherry on a cake that's now got many, many tiers.  Then, post-launch, conversations over Hitman 4 will begin.

"So of course there will be more Hitman," Abrak tells Variety, promoting the latest Elusive Target mission that features Eminem, of all people. "But right now, I think we need to get to the other side of this year and next year you'll get more news about Hitman co-op, because I think co-op is a really, really good extension to the universe, and will introduce very interesting mechanics and combinations in World of Assassination. But we will, after that, be talking about the next 'Hitman' - because, of course, there's going to be a next Hitman."

So, that's not confirmation that Stone and Knight will drop in 2026, but we'll at least hear more about it. I'd be surprised if we didn't see it arrive before the end of next year, but you never know what speedhumps IOI will come across.

Abrak also speaks to how busy the development teams at IOI are right now, which further insinuates that it needs to be rid of World of Assassination before tackling Hitman 4. Alongside putting the finishing touches on the James Bond game (he says it's playable from start to finish, but requires "some polish and bug fixing" before the 007 First Light release date arrives in March), it's hard at work on its upcoming RPG as well.

"We have our hands full, honestly, with three main productions. We're working on a new IP fantasy - Project Fantasy, we call it. It's not announced yet, exactly what it is, but it's a multiplayer fantasy project, which is extremely ambitious and really cool and is something else than a gun in a suit. So that's also good to have something new within the creative outlook here."

While its first foray into publishing didn't exactly go to plan (that would be the disastrous Mindseye) IOI's roadmap for its own, in-house games looks extremely promising, even if that all-new Hitman project sounds like it'll be many years away yet.