IO Interactive Now an Independent Studio

After recently splitting from Square Enix prior to E3, IO Interactive has now announced they are now officially an independent developer. In a blog post from Hakan Abrak, IO Interactive’s head honcho, it was revealed that the company has now successfully concluded their negotiations with Square Enix and have agreed to a management buyout.

I would like to say a big and sincere thank you to all of our players, community, friends in the media and everyone else connected to the studio for the messages of support that we have received in the last few weeks. I would also like to thank Square Enix; it has been a great family to be a part of and we are proud of what we have achieved together in the last eight years. – IO Interactive Blog Post

The biggest and best news to come from this announcement is that IO Interactive was able to keep full rights to the popular Hitman franchise. This will allow the developer to collaborate with other companies and the player community (do I hear a Kickstarter?) to bring new life to both the Hitman franchise and embark on new endeavours.

For more information on the future of IO Interactive, check out their website.