Before Project 007 was greenlit, the Hitman studio had to convince the James Bond rights-holders to give video game adaptations another shot: "They were not looking for a game"

While the James Bond video game from Hitman developer IO Interactive is still a ways out from release, the crew behind the super spy's return to video games have been open about their ambitions for Project 007. It's apparently the "ultimate spycraft fantasy" and a game that aims to set up a new ongoing gaming series for Bond, but it surprisingly took some effort to win over current James Bond owners Eon Productions on the concept.

In the latest issue of Edge Magazine (issue 391) that's on sale now, IO Interactive co-owners Hakan Abrak and Christian Elverdam broke down their vision of a James Bond game series. While a new James Bond video game seems like a no-brainer, it took some convincing to get the green light as the current rights-holders didn't want just another "action-oriented" shooter for Bond.

"Our impression was clearly that [at the time] they were not looking for a game," said IO Interactive CEO and co-owner Hakan Abrak in the Edge interview. "And I think it's fair that they might not have been super-happy with some of the later games."

The most recent Bond games were 2010's James Bond 007: Blood Stone and 2012's 007 Legends. For the latter, that game was essentially a Call of Duty-style FPS experience that was also the greatest hits of different Bond films as campaign stages (one stage was set in Goldfinger's Fort Knox climax, and another was a Zero-G shooter level based on Moonraker).

007 Legends came out over a decade ago, and at the time, it was not well received by critics and audiences alike. Much like most recent Bond games, 007 Legends sought to emulate the experience of the fan-favorite Goldeneye 64, which, while a popular Bond game and the defining console FPS game of the 90s, wasn't particularly a super faithful Bond-style experience due to the focus on turning the character into a shoot-em-up action hero.

So, the hesitation from Eon Productions for another Bond game is understandable. In the Edge interview, the heads of IO Interactive were insistent on pitching a game that went beyond just an action-shooter, which also leaned into their stealth-action experience. According to IO Interactive co-owner Christian Elverdam, their pitch for a new type of Bond game focused on engaging in less violence outside of critical targets and focusing more on being the spy who could get in and out without much hassle. As Elverdam stated in the interview: "That [pitch] helped us convince the Eon Group that there's a sophistication in how we treat the agent fantasy."

The concept for Project 007 as a full-on "agent fantasy" starring James Bond and made by the Hitman devs is a compelling one, but we're still ways out from seeing it all in action. We do know that it'll be a third-person stealth-action game and that it'll feature IO's "own, digital Bond" not directly inspired by other actors, and so far, that's a cool setup for what's to come with the dev's take on an iconic film franchise.

The latest issue of Edge has more details on Project 007 and Dragon's Dogma 2, and if you want to check it out, you can head over to Magazine Direct to subscribe or buy individual issues.

Alessandro is a freelance writer and editor based in the San Francisco Bay Area who has covered the games, tech, and entertainment industries for more than 13 years. Having previously worked at GameSpot, CNET, and various other outlets writing features and coordinating event coverage, Alessandro enjoys playing games on PC, but also gives plenty of time to his Nintendo Switch. You can find him on various socials at @afillari.