Square Enix is dropping IO Interactive

Publisher Square Enix has announced today that they’re dropping the studio behind the Hitman games.

GameIndustry.biz reports that this decision is part of a strategy to “focus our resources and energies on key franchises and studios”. While this move comes as a surprise to many gamers, it makes sense from a business standpoint. The publisher has apparently lost 4,898 million yen ($43 million) over the years.

The publisher has already begun discussions with new investors. It states that “Whilst there can be no guarantees that the negotiations will be concluded successfully, they are being explored since this is in the best interests of our shareholders, the studio and the industry as a whole.”

Square Enix never released the sale figures for the 2016 Hitman game. However, the game collected quite a bit of attention online. This doesn’t mean the game sold well of course. IO Interactive still dedicates themselves to the game with regular updates.

We will provide you with updates as we learn more about the situation.

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Clare Lunawolf

Clare has been a dedicated gamer for almost all of her life and grew up playing a wide range of games such as Tekken, Pokemon, Unreal Tournament and Roller Coaster Tycoon. While she loves engaging action games, there's nothing that can beat a nice tycoon game and jazz session... especially if there's hot chocolate involved.