IO Interactive Enters the World of Publishing and Signs Deal With Build a Rocket Boy

IO Interactive has launched its third-party publishing division, IOI Partners. Its first worldwide deal is already a major one, with Leslie Benzies' Build A Rocket Boy to publish and distribute MindsEye. The game is a cinematic AAA story-driven action-adventure thriller.

With Hitman 3 respectively Hitman: World of Assassination, Denmark's IO Interactive has become a publisher of its own titles. The Danish company is now expanding this area of activity and has announced its third party publishing division IO Partners and its first publishing partnership with Build A Rocket Boy. Leslie Benzies is the man behind the British studio. He was a Producer and Game Designer on Grand Theft Auto V, Executive Producer and Lead Designer on Red Dead Redemption, and Producer on pretty much every Rockstar Games title from Grand Theft Auto III until 2013. After a sabbatical, he founded Build A Rocket in 2016, with headquarters in Edinburgh and studios in Budapest and Montpellier.

"From day one, Build A Rocket Boy Studios has been focused on creating the next generation of compelling gaming and quality entertainment experiences.  We can't wait to share our first AAA premium game and ever-evolving universe, MindsEye, with the world. There is no finer partner than IO Interactive to publish our first title, with their strong understanding of community culture, premium action-adventure games, and a best-in-class publishing team, we really look forward to partnering with them on our new blockbuster journey," Leslie Benzies, Game Director at Build A Rocket Boy.

To oversee MindsEye's global publishing services, including marketing, localization, distribution, QA, and game support, IO Interactive announces the creation of its third-party publishing division, IOI Partners. "We are honoured to be the global publishing partner working with Build A Rocket Boy's exceptionally talented team and to bring our community an exciting new IP. IO Interactive and Build A Rocket Boy are like-minded in how we aim to create a bond and a long-term relationship with our communities, which perfectly aligns with our commitment to delivering high-quality, immersive experiences to players worldwide. As our first publishing partnership, this marks a significant milestone for IO Interactive, and we could not be prouder of this collaboration," Hakan Abrak says, CEO at IO Interactive. The company is an independent video game developer and publisher with studios in Copenhagen, Malmö, Barcelona, Istanbul and Brighton. Best known for the Hitman franchise, the company is developing and publishing the first-ever James Bond origin story, working title Project 007, and is currently developing a new IP codenamed Project Fantasy.

MindsEye is a story-driven action-adventure thriller set in a fictional near-future Americana. "Play as Jacob Diaz, a former soldier with a mysterious neural implant who is suffering from memory loss and flashbacks. Set out on a series of dangerous covert missions to unlock the secrets of your past in a world filled with the persistent threat of artificial intelligence, high tech experimentation, corporate espionage, political corruption, and an unchecked Military," the publisher states.

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