The upcoming James Bond game 007 First Light has been delayed until 27 May 2026. The much-anticipated title was due to be released on 27 March, but will now come out two months later. It will be the first video game featuring the British spy since 2012's 007 Legends. In a statement developer IO Interactive, which also makes the Hitman series, said the game was fully playable from beginning to end - but extra time was needed to further polish it. It is being developed in association with Delphi Interactive, which is also behind the upcoming Fifa game due to be released on Netflix ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

It's clear how the Viking raids in Assassin's Creed Valhalla are supposed to work. Ubisoft's latest historical adventure has you playing as a brave Norse warrior rampaging across England with your fellow raiders, battling Saxon soldiers and ransacking their burning cities. That's not how I play. I discovered early on that, instead of approaching an enemy site in my longship, with all my skilled courageous troops, then engaging in open, bloody warfare, I had more success if I went ahead alone and hid in the bushes, picking the guards off one by one and quietly hiding their bodies. You can clear out a whole town without a scratch, and then your fearsome warriors can pop in at the end and help you open the treasure chests.

When developer IO Interactive separated from publisher Square Enix, it got to keep the popular Hitman franchise, giving the now-independent studio control over the 2016 stealth shooter game it developed. Back in June, the company released the first episode of Hitman for free to attract new customers, and now it's putting out a "Game of the Year" version of the game for PS4, Xbox One and PC on November 7th. The new edition will include the entire first season, a brand new'Patient Zero' campaign, new Escalation Contracts, new weapons, new suits, new challenges and improved graphic and lighting effects. IO Interactive's first new content release for Hitman since it went independent will contain all seven locations and more than 100 hours of gameplay, including all of the original Challenge Packs, Escalation & Featured Contracts and more than 700 challenges. The "Patient Zero" campaign is entirely new, too.

Japanese video game publisher Square Enix says it will part ways with the studio behind the classic franchise Hitman. In a notice to investors filed with quarterly earnings, Square Enix says it will "withdraw from the business" of studio IO Interactive, and has started talks with potential investors. "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," reads the note from Square Enix. The publisher says the move will lead to a loss of $43 million during the fiscal year. IO Interactive is best known for the video game series Hitman, where players assume the role of assassin Agent 47. Missions require players to assassinate a target, often wearing disguises to infiltrate locations.

Japanese video game publisher Square Enix has announced that it is now parting ways with IO Interactive, the studio behind the "Hitman" franchise. Square Enix plans to sell IO to interested investors, but if an agreement isn't reached, the Danish studio might be shut down. "To maximize player satisfaction as well as market potential going forward, we are focusing our resources and energies on key franchises and studios," Square Enix said in its statement. "As a result, the Company has regrettably decided to withdraw from the business of IO Interactive A/S. a wholly-owned subsidiary and a Danish corporation, as of March 31, 2017." Square Enix assumed ownership of IO Interactive when it acquired it from Eidos Interactive back in 2009.

Danish developer Io Interactive garnered a serious reputation thanks to its Hitman games, starring the mysterious Agent 47 – a man with a barcode on the back of his shaven head and unrivalled skills when it came to dispatching even the most heavily guarded targets. But since 2006, the laconic fellow has not been seen, with Io instead making two Kane and Lynch games which, frankly, were rather rubbish. Someone, though – either at Io itself or publisher Square-Enix, which owns the studio – has finally seen sense, and after a five-year hiatus, the company has returned to its alma mater in the form of Hitman Absolution, due for release some time in 2012 on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. Gratifyingly, at the Hitman Absolution demo we were treated to at E3, it more or less instantly became obvious that Io Interactive has also returned to its comfort zone. The game – being shown for the first time – generated quite a buzz.