so i just found out that io interactive, the devs behind hitman and 007: first light, are closing down their istanbul office and laying off some staff. this is some pretty big news, especially since it's all happening because xbox pulled out of funding their mysterious upcoming rpg, project fantasy.

i'm still trying to wrap my head around why xbox would drop out of funding project fantasy, but i guess it's all part of their new focus on games that are gonna make the most money. it's kinda sad, because i was really looking forward to seeing what io interactive would do with that game. but hey, at least they've got full ownership of the project now, so maybe we'll still get to see it happen someday.

it's not all bad news, though - io interactive is still going to be working on their main internal games, and they're even going to be funding project fantasy independently now. i have to admit, i'm a bit curious about how that's gonna work out, since they're basically going it alone on this one. but at the same time, it's kinda cool that they're taking control of their own project and making it happen, even if it means making some tough decisions along the way.

one of the toughest decisions they've had to make is closing down that istanbul office, which is obviously not great for the people who work there. io interactive said it was a "hard, but necessary" decision, but i can imagine it's still really tough for everyone involved. on the other hand, maybe this means they'll be able to focus more on their core games and make something really amazing happen.

preorders are available at major retailers, but i'm not sure if that's even relevant right now, since weRead more: Full article on www.gamespot.com

What do you think about this?