The best non-Hitman game from Hitman's devs wouldn't have happened if it didn't blow EA execs' minds and 'low expectations' with a hocus-pocus demo powered mostly by dreams

IO Interactive is now inextricably linked with the iconic Hitman franchise, a connection that dates back to the studio's early days. Their journey with Agent 47 began with the debut of Hitman: Codename 47 in the year 2000.

However, following the launch of Hitman 2: Silent Assassin a mere two years later, IO Interactive made an unexpected pivot. They unveiled Freedom Fighters, a squad-based third-person shooter set in a captivating alternate reality where the Soviet Union occupies the United States. The game earned acclaim for its innovative battle mechanics, which masterfully blended numerous smaller skirmishes involving various squads and soldiers, creating an incredibly dynamic and lifelike combat experience.

Despite its eventual success, Freedom Fighters nearly didn't see the light of day, encountering significant skepticism from its publisher, EA. Lead designer Mads Prahm recounted that EA executives harbored serious reservations about IO Interactive's capacity to deliver a compelling action-packed shooter. Prahm admitted these doubts were understandable, stating, "For the first year or so, I remember we really struggled."

He elaborated on the challenges: "Developing a fast-paced, accessible console game demanded entirely different control schemes, movement dynamics, and character AI. There was immense pressure to produce a game that, at that stage, bore little resemblance to the envisioned final product."

After a year of development, the team largely had unpopulated environments. "There was no action. We had many empty levels, but the core gameplay was completely absent," Prahm explained. To alleviate their growing concerns, EA mandated that IO Interactive quickly assemble a demonstration to prove the studio's competence and vision.

Prahm ingeniously crafted a 'proof of concept' from disparate music tracks and conceptual gameplay footage. Remarkably, this rudimentary presentation was sufficient to impress EA. A few months later, when IO Interactive presented a fully functional and playable prototype, EA's executives were reportedly even more astonished.

Prahm recalled, "Their expectations were very low, which ironically worked in our favor because we delivered something far beyond what they anticipated." This breakthrough led to EA giving the project a full green light and even sending Prahm on what he described as an "improvised press tour." From that point, IO Interactive refined its vision for Freedom Fighters, ultimately creating what many, including myself, consider the studio's finest work outside of the Hitman series.