On March 27th, 2026, IO Interactive will release their highly-anticipated action-adventure game 007 First Light. With 007 First Light on the horizon, some fans of IO Interactive’s work have begun wondering what the studio will release next. More specifically, people are wondering if IO Interactive will make another installment in their popular stealth franchise Hitman. Hakan Abrak, the CEO of IO Interactive, has recently confirmed that a fourth Hitman game will be released in the future.
Abrak discussed the future of IO Interactive, and the Hitman franchise specifically, in an interview with Variety. Before discussing Hitman, Abrak briefly mentioned 007 First Light. One might anticipate that the likely success of 007 First Light combined with its similarities to Hitman may decenter IO Interactive’s focus on the Hitman series.
However, Abrak confirmed that Hitman remains the studio’s priority. Although Abrak called working on a 007 game “a match made in heaven,” he asserts that “there’s no doubt Hitman has been our flagship game, our long love for all the time IO Interactive has existed.” Abrak then proceeded to confirm that “of course, there will be a next Hitman.”
Currently, however, the studio’s focus on Hitman is not a new installment in the series. Instead, Abrak describes IO Interactive’s plans to add on and improve the experience of the most recently released Hitman game instead. Said game, Hitman: World of Assassination, was released four years ago in 2021.
These planned additions for World of Assassination seem to center around brand new co-op mechanics or game modes. Abrak remarks, “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.”
In addition to future co-op content, World of Assassination has just received an update featuring famous rapper Eminem and his alter ego Slim Shady. In addition to the music star, the update includes an altered version of the game’s Hokkaido map named Popsomp Hills Asylum. The update was released earlier today and will last until the end of December.
The name and release date for Hitman 4 are currently unknown. However, fans of the series can rest easy knowing that another addition to the series will inevitably be released.