Verified source report
007 First Light’s developer lays off staff but claims its next franchise will continue
IO Interactive, the studio behind the Hitman series and 007 First Light, announced that it is laying off staff after a relationship with an "external partner" on its next big franchise, Project Fantasy, "has come to an end." IO has described Project Fantasy as an "online fantasy RPG", and Kotaku and Bloomberg report that Microsoft, […] IO Interactive, the studio behind the Hitman series and 007 First Light , announced that it is laying off staff after a relationship with an "external partner" on its next big franchise, Project Fantasy, "has come to an end." IO has described Project Fantasy as an "online fantasy RPG" , and Kotaku and Bloomberg report that Microsoft, which is planning significant cuts as part of a broader "reset" of the Xbox business, was going to be the game's publisher. It's unclear how many people will be affected by IO's "staffing decisions." The company says "we
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IO Interactive, the studio behind the Hitman series and 007 First Light, announced that it is laying off staff after a relationship with an "external partner" on its next big franchise, Project Fantasy, "has come to an end." IO has described Project Fantasy as an "online fantasy RPG", and Kotaku and Bloomberg report that Microsoft, […] IO Interactive, the studio behind the Hitman series and 007 First Light , announced that it is laying off staff after a relationship with an "external partner" on its next big franchise, Project Fantasy, "has come to an end." IO has described Project Fantasy as an "online fantasy RPG" , and Kotaku and Bloomberg report that Microsoft, which is planning significant cuts as part of a broader "reset" of the Xbox business, was going to be the game's publisher. It's unclear how many people will be affected by IO's "staffing decisions." The company says "we
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What happened
According to The Verge’s source item, 007 First Light’s developer lays off staff but claims its next franchise will continue, IO Interactive, the studio behind the Hitman series and 007 First Light, announced that it is laying off staff after a relationship with an “external partner” on its next big franchise, Project Fantasy, “has come to an end.” IO has described Project Fantasy as an “online fantasy RPG”, and Kotaku and Bloomberg report that Microsoft, […] IO Interactive, the studio behind the Hitman series and 007 First Light , announced that it is laying off staff after a relationship with an “external partner” on its next big franchise, Project Fantasy, “has come to an end.” IO has described Project Fantasy as an “online fantasy RPG” , and Kotaku and Bloomberg report that Microsoft, which is planning significant cuts as part of a broader “reset” of the Xbox business, was going to be the game’s publisher. It’s unclear how many people will be affected by IO’s “staffing decisions.” The company says “we
Context
The development sits in VINI’s Technology file for readers following technology, science, product policy, markets, infrastructure, and the public consequences of innovation. The original report is linked so readers can check the source account, follow later updates, and compare new coverage against the first published record. The source item is dated 2026-06-30T18:14:05+00:00.
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Source
Primary source: 007 First Light’s developer lays off staff but claims its next franchise will continue via The Verge. VINI cites and links the source; it does not reproduce the publisher’s full article text without rights clearance.
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- 007 First Light’s developer lays off staff but claims its next franchise will continueThe Verge - 2026-06-30T18:14:05+00:00
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