MS not doing themselves any favors by rarely, if ever, sharing numbers that isn’t quarterly revenue.

Hmm....

This should be Project Dragon, the Xbox exclusive.

IO Interactive have technically announced it.

It has now been a decade since we first imagined creating a new “World of Assassination” for our HITMAN games. Seven years ago, we launched that world in its infancy and nurtured it to grow to comprise three full games, exciting new game modes, many additional locations, and extra targets. And more importantly, it has allowed us to build a bond with our community that has supported us ever since. We have gone from a strong vision, through a lot of unforeseen events, to the ever-expanding world with freedom of approach in its core that we have today.

Now we are sharing with all of you, that we are embarking on a new adventure! One that expands our creativity, our capabilities, and in some sense our identity. We are building a new world, a new IP – an online fantasy RPG. A world and a game built from the core to entertain players and expand for many years to come. It feels familiar, yet at the same time IOI is going on a journey unlike any we have been on before.

For many, this journey is also a deeply personal one that began long before we started making games for a living – and it started with the fantasy genre. From the “Fighting Fantasy” books compelling you to choose your path, alone, against wizards, lizards, and thief kings. To the togetherness, camaraderie, agony, and delight found around the tabletop. For some it meant taking the role of a game master: Part storyteller, part AI opponent, part guide, part villain. For everyone around that table it meant creativity, imagination, building a world together, and a shared goal in creating a great game experience.

This idea – that a diverse group of individuals with different skills and strengths can work together and become more than the sum of their parts – is what inspires us. It inspires the fantasy world we are building – and it inspires how we build it. IOI now spans multiple distinct studios, from Copenhagen and Malmö in the north to warm Barcelona in the south. All studios take part in making all our games, including this new endeavor. People from all over the world with diverse personalities and skillsets are coming together to forge a new beginning.

This is just the start of our journey into this new world we are making. We hope you sense the warmth, the danger, the togetherness, and the heart we put into it… And if you do, we would be honored if you join us.

I wonder if Xbox is still involved or dropped it.

Bit of an odd way to announce it, without even mentioning Xbox's involvement, it would be an easy marketing win for Xbox.

This feels more like a self-published announcement, they could have waited until E3 or something.

Nice to see that Project Dragon made it past the earliest development stage where cancellations are the most likely to happen. With ioi just now putting out their recruitment post though, I wouldn't bet on this game releasing until 2027 probably.

Yeah, I don't think Xbox is publishing this title anymore, it's too random of an announcement, they just let IO announce it without even mentioning Xbox's involvement? That would be dumb as hell from Xbox, a new exclusive from the creators of Hitman is worth waiting a few months for E3 and doing a CG trailer for it.

Plus even the Project name has changed, it used to be Project Dragon and now it's Project Fantasy.

If Xbox is no longer involved then another L for Jez and his codename leaks.

Not sure why Xbox would need/want to be involved. They already have ESO, if the deal goes through they own WoW. They have Fable and Elderscrolls 6 coming. Fantasy RPGs/MMORPGs aren't something they need to be more involved with.

At the very least, this does seem to be Project Dragon. When Project Dragon first leaked via Jez nearly 2 years ago, they had some job listings for a Project Dragon on their jobs site. Those are no longer there, they only have listings for Hitman, 007, and Project Fantasy. The details of Project Fantasy meanwhile match the details Jez gave about Project Dragon to a T, so I would assume that Dragon was simply renamed to Project Fantasy. It is odd that Xbox isn't mentioned at all, but this is a recruitment post, the Dragon job listings didn't mention Xbox at all either, but Jez had received evidence that Xbox was publishing Dragon.

Not to mention Avowed

We talk a lot about leaks regarding codenames, and one of them was Project Dragon, an exclusive MMORPG published by Xbox being developed by IOI. But this announcement does seem to indicate the opposite. You may be onto something though. Although that would be difficult to think that would be the sole reason to drop publishing. IOI perhaps was able to find funding to self publish. 

They don't need to be involved, I do agree, they have a ton of WRPGs and MMOs incoming, even without Activision-Blizzard.

It's just a project which Jez leaked a while ago, it was originally Project Dragon and described as a fantasy RPG, online title, large medieval-like world, etc. But he also said that Xbox were publishing the project so this strikes me as an odd way to announce if Xbox is still involved.

Leaning towards that isn't the case anymore, either IO Interactive wanted to self publish or Xbox dropped the project for some reason, could be like you said, they think they have enough MMOs/WRPGs coming.