Exotic locations, expensive suits and a handful of assassinations; Hitman developer IO Interactive could make the ultimate James Bond game.

James Bond has had a troubled video game history. Outside of the classic Goldeneye, 007 games tend to be generic run and gun affairs that are more meh than suave.

IO Interactive could change that.

Hitman developer IO Interactive is facing an uncertain future but they remain committed to the Hitman franchise and continue to focus on taking it forward, most recently announcing changes to Hitman: The Complete First Season. The opportunity to work on a series of James Bond games could completely revitalize their fortunes, while also giving some much-needed video game credibility to the British spy.

The first mission in the Hitman first season saw Agent 47 in the glamorous French capital Paris, where he could walk the red carpet in a tuxedo, brush shoulders with celebrities and mingle with models as he worked on assassinating his target in a sea of elegant dresses and stiletto heels.

With a skin swap mod to replace Agent 47 with 007, Hitman: The Complete First Season could be the best James Bond game ever made. It had everything a James Bond fan could ask for.

James Bond and Agent 47 have more in common than meets the eye. James Bond sits at a baccarat table in the middle of a casino and looks his target in the eye, while 47 knocks out a man, puts on his clothes, and walks into a crowd of his compatriots, remaining unnoticed. While James Bond is the more charismatic of the two characters, both have an air of mystery that surrounds them, an undoubted self-confidence and the dual ability to command attention and disappear into the shadows.

IO Interactive have shown that they have the ability to build an exotic sandbox, memorable set-pieces, and a thrilling story. Given free reign with the James Bond franchise, I’m convinced that they would create 007 games that would be spoken about in the same breath as Goldeneye.